


Together Again

by ScytheMeister7



Category: JackSepticEye (YouTube RPF), Markiplier (YouTube RPF)
Genre: AU, Coffee Shops, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Lovers to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Not youtubers, Past Accidents, Scars, mute character, reunited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-06-07 06:25:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 27,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6790003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScytheMeister7/pseuds/ScytheMeister7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been a long time since Jack's seen Mark, and to see him in a park with a random kid that looks almost identical to him? Well to say the least, Jack wasn't expecting that at all. Spending time with Mark again, Jack begins to realize that his friend has changed a lot over be years, and not all of it has been good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He didn't really have any sort of plan. In all honesty, he'd just walked out house and let his legs carry him wherever they wanted to go. At first, he'd been confused about why he'd found himself at the park, but a quick survey of his surroundings made him realize that it reminded him of back home.

In this part of L.A., there weren't many nature landscapes. It didn't take long to find an empty bench to sit down on. The day was still early, so most people were generally at work. What had started off as any other day quickly took a turn.

Jack couldn't believe his eyes. It had been years since he'd last seen him. Twelve to be exact. He'd been fourteen when he moved back to Ireland and away from all his friends in the states, away from Mark. Sitting in a park, now twenty-six, he watched with wide eyes as his once best friend grinned at a tiny little boy, maybe six or seven, running around with a toy plane in his hands.

Mark had...grown. It was the only thing Jack could think of. Mark had once been the stereotypical geek with glasses and braces. His tall but skinny stature and participation in band hadn't helped his status. Now, however, Mark had filled out. He was broad, muscular, and his pasty skin was now vibrant and tan.

Also, his hair was now red. The boy he was watching looked like a miniature version of him without the glasses which Mark seemed to retain. Jack didn't know exactly how he'd recognized his old friend in the first place with the drastic changes in appearance. Maybe it was the smile. It looked almost identical to the one he had in high school when Jack would whispered stupid things in his ear just to get a reaction.

Jack could still remember when he'd confessed to Mark. He'd watched as Mark's usual grin slipped away into what had been shock. Jack, having mistook it for something else, tried to take off but didn't get far before Mark pulled him back into a hug and returned the feelings. That day had been the best day of Jack's life. Leaving had been the worst. The long distance thing hadn't worked out, and after two months of trying, they'd decided to just break it off with no hard feelings. Of course, they hadn't talked since.

Jack snapped out of his thoughts when he felt something solid and plastic hit him in the leg. He looked down to see the same toy plane Mark's son (he assumed it was Mark's son) had been playing with. Carefully, he picked it up and looked around only to have a forty pound child throw himself at him before climbing on top of his lap as if he had every right to be there.

Jack couldn't move. He was in too much shock to even try. Seconds away from attempting to move the boy off his lap, the kid turned around and grinned at Jack, his smile so innocent and pure, Jack wanted to melt.

“Hello, mister. I’m Lukas. Unc’ Mark’s been looking over at you for a while so I thought I say hi.” Jack didn’t know how to respond. He’d never met such a forward kid before, especially not one this young. Something in his chest had unclenched when he realized the boy was only Mark’s nephew.

“Uhh, hi. My name is Sean, but most people call me Jack…” Is what he decided to go with. A dark shadow loomed over Jack and the boy which almost scared the crap out of Jack. Looking up, he was met with the sight of a frazzled looking Mark, who watched him with eyes full of both fear and bewilderment.

He was about to speak, try and defend himself, but before he could, Lukas spoke up.

“Took you long enough, Unc’ Mark.” The boy chastised. Jack wanted to laugh but then he saw the tension seep out of Mark, realizing how scared the other man really had been at the prospect of losing his nephew somewhere in the park. Jack didn't really know what to say. After all, it had been a long time since they'd seen, let alone talked, to each other.

With a shaky voice, he said, “H-hey Mark. It’s been a while.” Mark just grinned at him and nodded before moving his right hand in an odd but purposeful way. His pinky stuck out while all his other fingers were held in a fist and his curved his wrist.

It looked as though he were writing the letter _J_ into the air. Slowly, Jack realized Mark was signing his first initial to him. They’d taken a class together back in highschool to learn sign language. Though Mark had definitely been better, Jack still knew how to recognize most letters and some simple phrases.

Confused, he looked back up at Mark and finally noticed the rather jagged scar that ran the curve of his neck. The skin looked a though it had been ripped rather forcefully apart with something rough rather than just simply cut with a blade.

Jack had to force himself not to stare. Mark knew Jack could see the scar and just gave a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck as though he had done something embarrassing. He lifted both hands to sign this time, moving slowly so Jack would have time to read each word.

 _Been awhile, hasn’t it?_ He asked. Jack could only nod. _I missed you._ Jack grinned.

“I missed you too, bud. It's been too long.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoorah! First step to making this a multi-chaptered fic has begun. Oh, also, I rewrote a bit of the first chapter so if you wanna reread it first....
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy. It was fun writing this

Now, Jack didn't really know what he was expecting. In the end, it had been anything but this. Somehow, fifteen minutes after his fateful re-encounter with Mark, he found himself sitting in a coffee shop with a six year old on his lap who was attacking his pancakes as though he'd been starved for weeks while Mark sat across from him, smile bright and happy.

Jack, who was still quite confused about how he found himself here, had simply ordered a black coffee while in true Mark fashion, the other man ordered the sugariest and sweetest thing on the menu. Jack could remember back in high school when he'd tried one of Mark’s ‘fraps’ or such and almost spit it out at how sweet it was. He smiled at the memory.

Sitting here now was almost reminiscent of those times, except now, he had a kid he'd only just met staring at him with wide eyes and syrup all over his face. Jack, grinning, lifted the kid so he was sitting next to Jack rather than on top of him.

“You got syrup everywhere.” He remarked, completely oblivious to the way he sounded. Mark hid his smile behind the rim of his cup as he watched the exchange. Patiently, Lukas waited as Jack carefully wiped the sticky substance from his mouth with a napkin. When he was done, Jack finally realized what he'd done and blushed.

“Uhh, s-sorry. I couldn't help myself. I'm kinda use to it, with my sister’s kids and all…” All the nervous energy he'd felt before returned. Mark shook his head, signaling that it was okay, and Lukas himself had an appreciative smile on his face. Mark lifted his right hand to sign, making the symbol for _G_ before twisting his wrist a bit.

Jack was confused. He didn't know what Mark was trying to tell him. Fortunately, Lukas was there to help.

“Green,” he said. “He's talking about your hair.” Reflexively, Jack’s hand shot up to his hair as he pat it down, realizing he'd left his favorite hat at home.

“Ah, yeah. Sorry about that.” He didn't really know what he was apologizing about, but the words still came out of his mouth. Mark just smiled and shook his hands to say _No big deal_ before he turned to his nephew and made the motion of writing with a pen. Lukas, obviously knowing what he meant, pulled out a pen and notepad from the bag Jack had just noticed he had with him. The boy handed the materials to Mark. Jack watched as his friend jotted something down, the handwriting familiar from when they'd pass each other notes during their in-school study sessions.

Once he was done, Mark motioned for Jack to take the notepad. What he read made him smile. _We look like Christmas._ Jack grinned and let out a small laugh.

“Yeah, we kinda do.” With Mark’s red hair and Jack’s green, they might as well had been a Christmas advertisement. With that done, the rest of the coffee shop experience went a lot smoother. Mark and Jack managed to talk about what life had been like for each of them after Jack moved back to Ireland.

The topic of how Mark had gotten his scar didn't come up, and Jack was kind of glad. He didn't want to pry. After all, it had been a while since they'd last seen each other. Even if they'd been best friends in high school and told each other everything, it didn't mean they were still best friends now. If anything, really, they were basically acquaintances. The thought of that hurt Jack deep in his chest, but he ignored it, preferring to keep with the conversation.

Halfway through, Mark and Lukas had managed to engage themselves in some sort of argument over something Jack had never heard of. It was funny really, how they could act so normally, even with Mark half signing, half writing things down.

Realizing what he'd just thought, Jack mentally chastised himself. He was having a good time and he didn't want it to end. Almost as though the gods were on his side, Jack was invited to go with Mark to drop Lukas back off to his brother. Jack didn't really know what to say. It had been almost an hour now since he'd ‘reunited’ with Mark, and he was already allowing him to see so much of his new life.

To even the playing field a little, Mark did look nervous as he waited for Jack’s response, as though even he knew the request was a bit forward after such a short time of meeting each other again. After a few seconds of contemplation, Jack couldn't say no.

He'd missed Mark a lot. His smile; the way his eyes crinkled in the corner when he was genuinely happen, his nervous ticks; how he'd rub the back of his neck and play with his fingers, and most of all, his laugh. Throughout the entire coffee date (he didn't really know what else to call it, though it really hadn't been an actual date. After all, a six year old had been present), Jack had realized that while Mark couldn't talk, he could still make sounds.

Of course, they came out disjointed and gravelly. Jack found he didn't really mind. The walk to Mark’s brother’s house wasn't a very long one, maybe about ten minutes. Either way, Jack found himself to be in a rather chipper mood. Due to the initial awkwardness of seeing Mark again, his usual cheery and loud disposition had sunk into the background. Now that he was a lot more confident, it was back.

Mark watched Jack and Lukas go back and forth, chatting animatedly about different things. It made Mark want to chuckle. After all, Jack had always seemed more childlike than his actual age. When they arrived, Jack felt his nervous energy come back. It wasn't as bad as before, but still.

He'd met Mark’s brother many times when Jack would come over to hang out or when Tom would come to pick Mark up. He was a nice guy, quiet, and a brilliant artist. Even when he'd moved back to Ireland, Jack had made sure to keep up with Tom’s comic. While Lukas knocked on the door, Jack waited patiently, half hiding himself behind Mark’s solid frame.

The door opened to reveal Tom, standing tall with his hair longer than it had been the last time Jack had seen him. With a smile, he ruffled his son’s hair, and turned to talk to Mark before he realized Jack was there as well.

“Sean? That you?” Tom had always preferred to call Jack by his birth name, saying something about how he felt nicknames were a lot more intimate. Jack didn't stop him, not minding readily what name he was called, though his preference was still ‘Jack’.

“Uh, hi Tom. Been a while.” He replied. Tom’s smile widened.

“Yeah, it really has. Moved back to the states, huh?” Jack nodded his head.

“Yep. Been here three months, now.” Saying it out loud felt like some sort of confirmation. Jack ignored the tightening in his

chest. “Well it's nice to see you again, Sean.” Tom said before herding Lukas into the house. The boy shouted out a quick, “Hope to see you, again!” before he disappeared. Tom turned to his brother again, to speak.

“Thanks again, Mark. I know it was last minute, but there were deadlines and-” Mark stepped forward and covered his brother’s mouth with his hand, an effective way to get him to shut up. Faster than how he'd done it with Jack, Mark began to sign.

_Shut up, you know I don't have any problems with watching him. I'll do it any time you need me, got it?_ Jack could only understand some of what Mark was saying.

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry. You know I have to say it anyway.” Mark just smiled at his brother. After a few minutes, they all said goodbye, and Jack was left by himself with Mark. What he'd thought was going to be awkward silence turned out to be rather pleasant.

It was like back in the old days, where’d they'd hang out and not say a word. There'd been no need for them, same as now. After what seemed like almost ten minutes of aimless walking, Jack’s phone started ringing. He cursed under his breath as he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the contact name, pulling a face at what he saw.

With an annoyed growl, he answered. “What do you want now, Felix?” He huffed. Jack really didn't want to deal with this right now. Not when Mark was right there, watching him curiously. “I already said no. Wanna hear it in Irish? Níl.” With that, Jack hung up the phone and stuffed it back into his pocket and let out a huff. He closed his eyes for a moment to get his breathing back to normal before he opened them again and spotted Mark’s worried gaze. Jack gave him a small smile.

“Ah, sorry about that. Umm, it was a friend. Don't worry about it.” He said. Mark, ever the good person he was, just nodded his head and smiled lightly. Jack felt guilty. He'd ruined a good day, and now he had to get home quickly or else Felix would beat him there. He didn't have an easy way of doing this and so he went with what he thought was best.

“I...uh. I have to go. I'm sorry to just disappear so abruptly on you. It's been nice to see you again. I-I hope we can hang out again.” Jack ran his fingers through his hair, fluffing it up in his nervousness. He didn't expect to feel Mark’s fingers on his chin as the other man tilted Jack’s face to look back up at him. Mark just smiled as he leaned over and kissed Jack on his cheek.

It was a completely innocent act. It could have meant nothing, but to Jack, it meant everything.

Mark took a step back and waved before waving and going on his way, leaving Jack on the sidewalk in stunned silence.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack was stunned the entire walk back home, the feeling of Mark’s lips still warm on his cheek. He'd almost felt tempted to touch it the entire way back, but resisted, knowing people would stop and stare as if he were crazy.

Once he finally found himself on his front gate, the warmth faded and Jack was filled with the urge to just close his eyes and sink into the ground. Felix grinned at him from in front of the open door, one foot poised as though ready to step inside. He stepped back, grin widening.

“Babe! Ah, I was hoping I'd get here before you. Plans been ruined, but oh well.” The blonde took the stairs two at a time and pulled Jack into a hug. The Irishman stood there and took it, knowing that resisting would make it worse. Once Felix started, there was no way to end it. That idea applied to their relationship as well.

“What are you doing here, Felix?” Jack asked once the blond man pulled back. Felix put his hand over heart in mock hurt.

“How rude! I just came here to see my favorite person in the world. You know, I've missed you hun’. When you walked out on me two months ago, well, I just couldn't get you out of my head!” Jack hid his disgust in favor of pushing past Felix.

“Well, that's too bad then. I left for a reason, Felix. Just go home.” Felix’s eyes flashed dangerously as he stood in place.

“Hmm, darling. You say that now, but don't worry. You'll be back soon. I love you, you know that right?” Jack shivered and turned around once he got to his door, still ajar from when Felix had opened it.

“You never loved me. You used me.” With that, Jack disappeared into the house and locked the door behind him, double checking that everything was properly closed. He let out a sigh and made a mental note to get a new lock. Never before had he ever regretted giving Felix a spare

house key. With a quick peek out the front window to check that Felix was gone, Jack finally let himself relax. The entire encounter made his previous good feelings fade and he wished more than ever that he could get them back. Jack could feel an oncoming headache and pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping to fend it off. What had started off as a day for a simple walk had developed into something a lot bigger.

Jack thought back on his evening, a small smile lighting up his face as he remembered the jokes Mark told and the easy banter he'd had with Lukas. A small pang in his heart made him realize just how much he'd actually missed Mark. To had met him again by accident so many years later, Jack could only think that some sort of god was finally on his side. Suddenly he realized something.

“Shit!” Jack had left Mark rather abruptly, promising to see the other man again, and he had no way of actually going through with the plan. He'd neglected to exchange numbers with Mark, knowing that even if he couldn't call, the two could still text. Jack threw himself down onto his couch and let out a frustrated sigh, letting negative thoughts plague his mind.

 _What if I don't see him again? I went three without running into him, before. What if that happens again?_ Jack picked his head up and stopped himself, remembering he technically knew where Tom and Lukas lived.

 _If I could just visit and ask for Mark’s number…?_ Jack shivered at the idea of potential confrontation. It wasn't like he wasn't a social person. If anything, Jack was rather bombastic and loud, constantly full of energy no matter the time of day.

It was just…some things made him slightly nervous and uncomfortable. Jack gritted his teeth, realizing how stupidly he was acting. _If I don't do this, I might not see Mark again. It'll just be a one and done type of thing._

The idea of that happening made Jack frown. Never seeing Mark again was a lot worse than going through a little confrontation. Beside, Tom was a nice guy. He hadn't necessarily known about Mark and Jack’s relationship (in the sense that the two had never really told him), but Jack was sure the older man had a few assumptions.

Due to the fact that Tom had never looked at Jack as though he were infringing on his little brother, Jack took it as a sign that Tom had approved of their relationship. He felt a lot better now that he had a plan.

The shrill sound of his house phone ringing broke Jack out of his thoughts and he hopped up off his couch to look at who was calling. Not a lot of people had his home number, other than his parents and siblings, and a few friends.

The name was one he wished he didn't have to answer. Half-heartedly, he picked it up, knowing if he didn't, his phone wouldn't stop ringing until he did.

“Hello, Signe. How is my dear sweet sister doing?” Jack answered in the most sarcastically sweet voice he could muster.

“Shut up, Sean. Felix just called. What the hell happened between the two of you? Three months ago, you guys were the happiest little things I'd ever seen, and now he calls claiming you kicked him out of your house?” Jack sighed, feeling almost resigned. Of course Felix had called her to complain about Jack.

“Nothing, sis. I just...things didn't work out, okay? There's no need to talk about it.” Jack could hear Signe sigh.

“Sean, you know I care about you, right? I act like the bratty sister you thought you never need because I have to. No one else will.” Jack let out his own sigh, realizing he'd been doing a lot of that almost all day.

“Yeah, I know. Just...let me deal with it first, okay? Then I'll tell you what's up.” Jack tried, knowing his sister wouldn't give up until he gave her at least something. He heard her shuffle around for a moment before her voice returned.

“Sure, Sean. If that's what you want. Call me soon, okay? I miss your loud voice.” Jack grinned at that and nodded, even though Signe couldn't see him.

“Sure, sis. Bye.” They hung up the phone and Jack set the receiver back down. His day had been surprisingly long, and now all he wanted to do was just take a shower and sleep for fifty years. He hadn't even done much, but what had happened had taken a lot out of him, even with his seemingly endless energy.

Forcing himself to walk towards the shower, he set about on his tasks, perfectly willing to waste the rest of his day by sleeping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, two things: 
> 
> 1) I do not hate Felix. Any and all representations of any real persons in this story are all just for the sake of the plot. They do not reflect my actual feelings for them. 
> 
> 2) Yes, I know Signe is not Jack's sister. I just wanted to include her in the story and this was the only way I could really think of to do it. Also, I found it kinda funny since the first time I had ever seen a picture of the two of them together, I thought she was his sister until I read the caption. Oh well. 
> 
>  
> 
> So yeah, I hope you enjoyed ^^


	4. Chapter 4

It was a week before Jack saw Mark again. Or rather, it was a week before he finally managed to get himself to walk back to Tom’s house to ask for Mark’s number, only to have the man himself answer the door. Mark stood in front of him wearing a black v-neck that looked a couple sizes too small on his broad frame.

In a rather appealing way, it showed off Mark’s collar bones and the long expanse of his neck. Jack couldn't help but let his eyes drift back to the scar around Mark’s neck. Now with a closer look, he could see the real damaged.

The texture of his skin was rougher with scar tissue. The color, what should have been a lightly tanned brown, was instead pale silvery white with the occasional purple due to bruising. Jack wanted to touch. He wanted to know what it felt like under his fingertips, but he resisted the urge, instead plastering a smile on his face.

“Hey, Mark. I was actually on my way here to, uh. To ask your brother for your number. I know I walked out on you rather quickly so I didn't have the time to ask, and I really wanted to see you again. Last week had been...fun. I missed it.” Jack felt a bit awkward, standing in front of Mark saying these things. When the door had opened, Mark’d had no expression on his face (something that unsettled Jack after having been able to read him like a book).

Now, however, when Jack looked up to meet Mark’s eyes, the other man was grinning and nodding his head enthusiastically. Slowly, he signed.

_Of course, of course. Come in!_ Jack returned the smile and followed Mark in the house, closing the door behind him. Quickly, Mark found a spare pad of paper and pulled a pen he had clipped to his waist. He jotted something down before handing Jack the page.

_Thomas and Lukas went out to do some stuff before school starts again in a month, so I'm just here to watch Lucy._ Before Jack could ask who Lucy was, a giant, giant, ball of white fluff threw itself at him, dropping him in a matter of seconds. A soft pink tongue decided it was a good idea to lick Jack on every available inch on his face, covering him in saliva.

When Jack’s vision finally cleared, he managed to look up to see an amused Mark holding back the fluffiest dog he'd ever seen by the collar. She, (Jack assumed it was a she), had a pink bow clipped in her fur near her ear that matched her collar. A tag with the name Lucy hung from the d-hook of her collar. Still a bit frazzled after being tackled, Jack pushed himself into a sitting position while wiping his face and looked up at Mark, a small smile on his face.

“Well then. I take this is Lucy?” He asked. Mark let out a distorted laugh which Jack couldn't help but love the sound of. It wasn't the same as the old one, obviously, but Jack loved it nonetheless. It was still Mark’s laugh.

_Yeah, she is._ Mark used his other hand to pull Jack up before crouching down next to the great pyrenees, stroking her fur to calm her excitement a bit. Slowly, he released his grip on her collar. Jack waited to be tackled again, and was pleasantly surprised to see the giant dog walk calmly over to him instead.

Lucy lifted one paw, bracing it against Jack’s thigh in greeting. With a smile, he leaned down and rubbed behind her ears, getting a small content huff for his efforts. Satisfied with the attention she’d gotten, Lucy strutted off deeper into the house, leaving Jack alone once again with Mark. He didn't really know what to do. After all, he'd walked over here in hopes of seeing Thomas, not to really walk into Mark himself.  

Jack felt as bit awkward, fiddling with his sleeves for a bit before glancing up at Mark through his green hair. The other man seemed to be studying him and blushed rather adorably when he realized Jack had caught him. His cheeks reddened, almost matching the bright color of his hair.

Mark had been watching Jack since he'd arrived, trying to pinpoint the differences between the fourteen year old he once knew and the twenty-six year old that now stood in front of him. Jack now seemed a lot quieter, calmer though Mark didn't really count it as a real difference, figuring Jack’s hesitance came more from being in a new environment more than an actual personality change. He was taller, as tall as Mark actually, though his body remained lanky rather than filled out the way Mark’s had.

The green hair had been the biggest surprise. As kids, the two of them always wondered what it would be like to color their hair. Or rather, Mark had. He'd talked to Jack about the possibility of dying his hair pink, which Jack had thought was the stupidest thing ever.

Now, he stood before Mark with bright green hair.

_Sorry._ Mark signed when he realized Jack had caught him. Grabbing the pad and pen again, he jotted something down. _I was just…seeing how much you've changed. After all, it has been twelve years._ Jack nodded, letting out a small laugh.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. You've definitely changed a lot too, Mark. The red hair...it suits you.” He said was a grin. Mark smiled back, pleased with the compliment.

“So, uh. Yeah. What I came here for… Your number? As I said earlier, I had fun last week. I’d like the chance to hang out with you again. If you're up to it, as well!” Jack added the last part quickly, wanting to make sure he didn't cross any boundaries. After all, just because they were friends then, didn't mean they were still friends now. However, Jack wanted to change that. They'd been close, real close, even before they'd moved on to _that_ part of their relationship, and even if Jack thought they'd never go back to that, he still wanted them to be friends again.

Mark was the only person who really truly understood him. Mark nodded enthusiastically, and Jack let out a small breath of relief that the other man wanted the same thing. Mark held his hand out while Jack fished in his pocket for his phone, unlocking it before handing it to Mark to put his number in. He typed it in quickly before handing Jack back his phone. The Irishman shot off a short text to Mark so he'd be able to save Jack’s number when he had the time.

“Ah, thank you.” He said, as his eyes quickly glanced at the clock. _Shit._

“Dammit, I'm sorry Mark, that this is happening again. I have to go to work. I've been late for the past three days, and if it happens again, I think they might fire my ass.” Jack felt guilty for having to leave so soon again. Of course he'd chosen the worst time to come here. Mark just waved him off, smile saying words he didn't have to sign or write down for Jack to understand.

_It's perfectly okay._ Jack let out a small breath, clearly upset. Calloused hands touched his hand, rubbing the center of his palm in gentle circular motions. It was something Mark had done when they were kids, and it never failed to relax Jack, not even now, years later. Jack looked up at Mark and smiled.

“I'll definitely call-er, text you one my shift is over. We can plan something. A day where we’re both free.” Mark nodded his head, clearly agreeing with the plan. With that, Jack felt a lot better. He said his goodbyes to Mark and almost ran back home. He had ten minutes to get to the shop, or he'd be dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pah, not much new information. Things are kinda slow at the beginning, but we'll hopefully be getting into the thick of it soon. Hope you guys enjoyed it ^^


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter! This one's a bit longer than the last one and if it's kinda all over the place, I apologize. Been writing it on and off for the past few days

“And he's here with just thirty seconds to spare.” Jack managed to get to the shop, nearly crashing into the front door as he went. Mary stood in front of him with her eyes on her watch before finally glancing up, one eyebrow raised in questioning.

“Saved yourself there, Jacky,” She said, using the name she knew Jack despised. She was one of only two people who dared to call him that. “You came pretty close to being fired, yunno. Or at least, demoted. We all know Ken likes you too much to get rid of you.” Jack looked up from his panting position and tried to glare at her, but in his current condition, it came out a lot differently than how he wanted so he just gave up.

“Thanks Mary. Love you too.” Was all he said as he gained his breath back. After having left Mark, Jack had made a huge effort to run all the way down to the coffee shop. It hadn't been fun and on the way, he'd almost lost one of his sneakers. Mary just huffed under her breath before turning on her heel heading towards the kitchen.

As head ‘chef’ of the shop, (if she could really be called that. All they really sold food wise were pastries) she didn't have much time to stand around and wait for Jack to gain his bearings back. It didn't take very long and within minutes, Jack was dressed in his work clothes (a t-shirt with the shop logo and an apron) and was standing at his place behind the register, relieving Cry of his shift.

They tended to alternate the morning shift as it was when the shop was most busy with people coming in for their daily dose of coffee. Midway through Jack’s shift, Ken finally popped his head out from his office near the back of the shop. Ken Morrison was the owner of the coffee shop, aptly named _Cinnamon_ based off of a nickname he'd had since childhood.

Ken was a bear of a man, giant in height and build. His thick facial hair did nothing to help that image, but he was nothing more than a cuddly and squishy kind of man. Most people found it weird that he and Mary were together, the two of them being almost complete opposites; Mary with her Aussie accent and eccentric hair and Ken with his southern drawl and burly features. If anything, Jack couldn't help but think they complimented each other rather well.

“Oh. Hey, Jack. Didn't know you had the afternoon shift.” Ken said, pulling his glasses up and rubbing his tired eyes. Most of the time, Ken left customer interaction to his employees, preferring to stay locked up in the back room going over paperwork and financials for the shop. It was a rare sight to see him in the middle of a work day.

“Hey, Ken. Decide to join the living?” Jack asked playfully. He handed his current customer their coffee and took their payment before handing back the change. She was the last person on line for now so Jack took the opportunity to lean back against the counter and talk to Ken.

“Uh, yeah. Paperwork is done for the day so I thought I'd say hi to anyone who's on shift.” He said. Jack smiled. He liked Ken. After moving back to the states, it had hard to find a job due to his lack of experience and accent. He didn't really understand that last part. Ken and Mary had given him a chance and he couldn't have asked for a better job. The pay was decent enough to pay for his apartment and he'd made good friends with Ken, Mary, and Cry.

“You're in a surprisingly good mood for this time of day. Anything good happen?” Ken interrupted Jack’s thoughts. He flushed pink at the words and waved his hands in the air.

“U-uh, what do you mean?” He asked, feigning innocence. No one really knew about Jack’s preference for guys and while he knew no one would hate him for it, it still made him uncomfortable to talk about it.

“You know, you're all smiley and dopey today. I mean, you always are, but today, you seem to be in a much better mood that normal.” Jack wanted to ask how he'd know that having been stuck in his office since morning before realizing Mary had most likely told him.

“Nothing happened, really. I just...met an old friend again. We agreed to possibly hang out after work, so….” He trailed off. Ken grinned at him, obviously happy for his friend.

“That's great! You should invite him to the shop one day. A friend of yours is a friend of mine.” Jack smiled. It was just like Ken to be like that. Despite his shyness when it came to customers, he was a lot louder and energetic when it came to close or possibly close friends. They spoke for a little more before the bell at the front of the shop rang, signaling the arrival of another customer.

Jack turned, smile in place before his eyes were met with the sight of dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. His smile dropped and Jack turned rigid. Silently, he prayed that Ken would run back to his office but he stayed behind the counter with Jack, concern on his face as he felt the tension fill the air.

“Babe…” Felix said with a grin. Jack wanted to smack him but he gritted his teeth instead. Of course he'd found out where he worked. Not that Jack had it as a well kept secret with his spare uniform in his closet at home. Although, he really didn't expect Felix to still come over after he'd broken it off.

“Don't fucking call me that, Felix. Why are you even here?” He asked. The other man just walked closer, smile growing wider. “Oh hun’. To see you, of course.” He leaned over the counter and went to touch Jack’s face. The Irishman pulled back before he could. _Dammit, why fucking now?_ He thought to himself.

Lately, Felix had been almost everywhere. Every time Jack felt happy, he'd walk back into sight and fuck everything up all over again. Flashbacks to that night standing in the rain alone passed before Jack’s eyes before he blinked them away. Ken could sense his employee’s unease and stepped closer to the counter, pushing Jack gently behind him.

“Excuse me, mister. Our employees are not here to be idle. If you're here to order, then order. If you're here to just agitate my employee, I ask you to turn around and leave now.” Jack stared at his boss with wide eyes, mouth open in surprise. He'd never seen Ken like this before. The man was normally a giant cuddly bear.

Now? His entire body was tense was agitation, eyes narrowed behind his glasses. Felix said nothing for a moment, a look of annoyance flashing through his eyes before he shrugged and turned away slightly. He looked over his shoulder at Jack, a taunting smile on his face.

“I'll see you later, Jack. Though it was rude of you to change the lock…” With that said, Felix turned and walked back out of the coffee shop. Jack let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and leaned into the countertop. Ken looked at him with worried eyes.

“You okay, Jacky?” He asked. The Irishman nodded and took in a deep breath before finally gathering the energy to look at Ken.

“Y-yeah, I'm okay. Sorry about that. I didn't know he knew where I worked.” He apologized. Ken frowned and put a heavy hand on Jack’s shoulder.

“You don't need to apologize, Jack. If you want, you can take off for the rest of your shift. I'll take over.” Jack’s eyes widened. Ken at the front counter taking customers? He'd actually do that for Jack? Ken, knowing what his friend was thinking, grinned.

“Don't worry about it. How do you think we fared before you arrived?” Jack smiled back and thanked Ken. Seeing Felix for even short moments now these days still took a bit out of him, and the idea of staying at work didn't seem like one he wanted to go through with. Changing out of his work clothes, Jack said a quick goodbye to Ken and Mary before heading home.

Thoughts of a long shower and a movie filled his thoughts before he remembered his promise to Mark. Glancing at the time on his phone, 3:45, he opened up his conversations and preceded to think about what to say. After a few minutes of thinking and walking, (where he nearly walked into a pole. Twice) he decided to ask Mark if he wanted to come over.

Though the original plan had been to pick a day sometime during the week, Jack felt the need to see Mark again soon. Hitting the send button with the message _Wanna come over for a movie and pizza?_ , Jack walked with a nervous pace, wondering if Mark would even respond.

Surprisingly, he heard his phone ding a few seconds later with the response, _I’d love to! What's your address? I'll be there in an hour._ Jack grinned to himself. Somehow, Mark managed to make him happy even after twelve years of separation. Jack hurried home, took a shower, and cleaned his apartment before ordering pizza.

He still remembered Mark’s favorite: pineapple and chicken. As Mark had promised, an hour later Jack opened his door to see Mark smiling at him.

 _Hello_ , he signed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I dunno, I've been "busy" this past week (is what I say, but it's mostly just me being lazy and doing nothing to help my failing physics scores). Anyway! Hope you enjoy this chapter. It's the longest one I've written so far, I think

Jack quickly ushered Mark into his apartment. He was a bit nervous to have Mark here but excited as well. It would be the first time they spent an extended amount of time together by themselves with the sole purpose of hanging out with each other.

“You can take a seat on the couch. Want anything to drink? Food’s already been ordered.” Jack told Mark as he moved into the kitchen. The other man took his time to look around the apartment. Jack was somewhat of a sentimental guy so on his walls hung the occasional family photo. When he'd first moved in, Signe had made sure he brought with him the picture of the two of them standing completely drenched in the rain outside his old cabin. Jack personally hated the photo. Signe had made him hang it up anyways.

The rest of the apartment had a homey feel that Mark liked. He tilted his head at Jack’s offer and nodded with a smile, signing _water, please_. Jack smiled back before grabbing a glass and filling it. He grabbed another for himself before joining Mark on the couch where the other man had seated himself. Handing him the glass, Jack placed his hands in his lap and fiddled with his fingers.

“This...this is the first time we've actually hung out without interruption. I'm not entirely sure what to do.” Jack confessed.

“I really wanna know you again. You've changed a lot and I feel like I've missed out on it which is one of the things I regret the most. Moving back to Ireland all those years ago...it was one of the worst things to ever happen to me. Because it meant leaving you.” Jack didn't know where all this had come from. He'd expected to invite Mark over, eat some pizza, watch a movie, and just talk and laugh.

This was the complete opposite. If he'd let himself, Jack felt like he might even cry though he didn't really know why. He refused to look up, scared of what expression Mark would have but when he felt a warm hand on his arm, he gave in. Mark’s eyes were soft as he looked at Jack, a small smile on his face. He reached the hand that wasn't on Jack’s arm and brushed green hair away from bright blue eyes. Once he was sure he had Jack’s attention on him, Mark began to sign, making sure to go slow just in case Jack didn’t understand. Words that were too complex, he spelled out individually.

_I have missed out on a lot, too. You are twelve years older. Your hair is green. I am willing to bet there is a lot more to it than that. If you are willing, we can relearn each other together. I would like to spend time with you again. Like old times._ Jack’s eyes widened, teary blue irises looking from Mark’s hands to his brown eyes, head tilted in question.

“Of course. Of course, of course, of course!” He was so excited. Getting to hang out with Mark again after so long? It was like a dream. After their mutual decision to break things off after he’d moved, Jack had been practically devastated for days. Originally, Jack hadn't been particularly close to any of his siblings, all of them being older, but during that time, Signe had been there for him, laying down in the same bed when Jack was too stubborn to get up and supplying him with almost endless amounts of chocolate and ice cream.

They'd been almost attached at the hip until Jack decided to move back. The two men settled down on the couch shoulder to shoulder as they put on a movie to watch. Every once and awhile, Jack would interject with his own witty comments and Mark would laugh.

About fifteen minutes into the movie, the pizza had arrived and they each took a slice before resettling themselves. You remembered. Mark signed. Jack could feel his cheeks heat up as his face flushed pink.

“It's hard to forget. Who the hell likes pineapples on pizza?” He joked. Mark only grinned before taking a large bite. The Irishman watched him eat, almost mesmerized by the sight; Mark’s soft lips opening as his pink tongue poked out a bit. Despite how gross it would have looked to anyone else, Jack couldn't help but think it was a bit cute. Mark ended up with pizza sauce on the side of his mouth and the same as he'd done with Lukas the previous week, Jack reached over and wiped it off with a napkin.

Mark’s eyes widened in surprise before he realized what had happened and smiled. _Thanks_. He mouthed, hands too preoccupied to sign. Jack just nodded, cheeks turning several shades brighter. Once the pizza was done, Jack having eaten two slices like a normal person and Mark the rest, they continued to watch the movie.

Except now...Jack was a bit distracted. He kept on thinking about Mark’s mouth. He remembered kissing that same mouth and he couldn't help but wonder if it felt the same. If Mark _tasted_ the same. Jack shook the thoughts from his head and forced himself to pay attention to the movie where some violent action scene was taking place.

Cars were racing down a highway in pursuit of another vehicle before two of them managed to graze each other. Once ended up getting pushed to the side of the road where it scraped up against the concrete barrier and as one thing led to another, the last car flipped over and crashed, sending curved metal and shattered glass everywhere.

Due to Jack’s barely there concentration on the movie, he noticed when Mark flinched just as the car had totaled itself. His left hand seemed to clench and unclench before he subconsciously reached for his neck. Jack watched as he carefully traced the ragged line of his scar before closing his eyes and gritting his teeth.

The Irishman instantly knew something was wrong. “Uh, Mark? You wanna do something else? I've seen this movie like ten times before and it's kinda boring. Maybe we could...play a video game?” Mark’s eyes snapped open and he turned to look at Jack, surprise and confusion on his face. The look faded almost as fast as it had appeared and he gave Jack a grateful smile, nodding his head slowly. Jack grinned.

“Awesome. I have a bunch of ‘em at the side of the tv. Pick whatever you want while I set up the console.” Mark nodded again before standing up, walking over to where Jack had directed him. The Irishman quickly turned off the movie and switched to his console. He couldn't help glancing at his friend nervously every few seconds as he worked.

_At least I have some sort of idea what happened._ Jack really wanted to know the full story. He wanted to know what had robbed Mark of his beautiful voice (Mark use to sing Jack to sleep sometime whenever one of them would sleep over) and what had scarred him so badly. Of course, he held back his questions.

It had only been a week since their reunion. He didn't want to push Mark away before the other man was comfortable enough to tell him. With an inaudible sigh, he dragged his fingers through the green of his hair.

A few seconds later, Mark leaned over with a game case in his hand, holding it out to Jack. It was a simple co-op game that didn't have any violence, blood, or gore. Jack didn't question it. He just smiled and put the disk in before handing Mark a controller.

They spent the next four hours like that, switching up games occasionally while Jack made playful jabs at Mark and Mark gave them right back. The Irishman thought that with their difficulties in communicating effectively (Jack knew the basics of ASL and Mark had to take him time to make sure the other man knew what he was saying), it would lessen the wittiness of Mark’s jokes but it didn't.

They hadn't realized the time until Jack’s phone went off in the middle of a game. It had scared them both that Jack had nearly jumped halfway into Mark’s lap. With a nervous laugh, he moved back and paused the game before reaching for his phone.

“Sorry about that. Lemme just check who it is…” Jack wanted to throttle whoever was calling him but the feeling dissipated the second he saw who was calling. Annoyance melted into fear. _Shit_. He’d forgotten that today was his weekly _Call from Big Sister Signe_ Day. It had been a promise between the two of them to call at least once a week and he'd completely forgotten. Quickly, he answered and began apologizing almost immediately before his sister could speak.

“I'm so so so so soooo sorry! Shit, I forgot. I was just so busy, and I have company over and-” He stopped for a second. “Please don't kill me, sis…” There was a long bout of silence before he heard a small huff, a signal that while his sister was still slightly upset with him, she wasn't mad and wasn't likely to tear him limb from limb.

“Whatever, just take this as your first and final warning. It happens again? I'm taking the next flight over to kill you in your sleep.” She said. Jack let out a relieved sigh and caught sight of Mark’s worried gaze. His hands were still gripping the controller and Jack smiled before mouthing the word _Signe_.

Mark had met her once or twice and while the two weren't best friends, they liked each other well enough. Mark smiled softly back, shoulders relaxing once he realized there was no worrying crisis.

“You said you have company over. Who is it?” Jack wanted to roll his eyes. Of course she’d wanna know.

“It's, um… Do you remember Mark?” He asked. He heard Signe gasp.

“Oh my God, is it him! Wow, that's awesome! Who knew you guys would see each other again, what are the odds. Let me talk to him. I wanna say hi.” Jack felt himself tense up. How could he tell her Mark couldn't really reply back? Mark, who'd been casually playing with the buttons on his controller, noticed the stricken look on his friend’s face. His eyes narrowed in concern as he set the game controller down and moved closer to Jack. _Everything okay?_ He asked. Jack half nodded, half shook his head. Covering the mouthpiece of his phone, he leaned to whisper to Mark.

“S-she wants to say hi. I don't know how to….I don't think it's my place to tell her.” Mark’s eyes widened before he grinned. _It’s okay. You can put it on speaker and interpret for her._ Jack felt the tension in his fade away. Quickly, he pressed the speaker button and placed the phone down between him and Mark.

“Okay, say hi.” Signe instantly went off, moving beyond just a simple greeting. It was like she was reading from a list of twenty questions or something. After she was done, she waited for a few seconds before saying, “Mark, you there?” Jack took a breath.

“He heard you. Um, Mark can't...talk, so I'm gonna translate for you the best I can.” He said. Mark just gave him an encouraging nod but before the two of them could do anything, Signe started talking about.

“What do you mean he can't talk? He use to talk up a storm whenever the two of you were together.” She said. Both men flinched, for different reasons; Mark because he knew it was true. He use to be loud and bright and now he was stuck being mostly silent for the rest of his life. Jack because he knew how blunt his sister could be when she wasn't fully aware of what was happening.

“It's just...something happened and now he can't talk. Don't question it.” Jack motioned for Mark to sign and began to translate before Signe could ask another question. It took a bit, Mark’s fingers and movements slow enough for the Irishman to follow. Finally when they were done, the room was silent. Jack worried his sister would question again why Mark wouldn't talk but her next words surprised him.

“Well, that's great, Mark. I'd love to see you again. Maybe when I come visit Jack. It was nice catching up a bit with you.” Jack let out a long breath and looked up to see Mark grinning. He picked the phone back up and turned off the speaker option, putting it back up to his ear.

“Sorry about forgetting. I won't next week.” He said. He could almost hear his sister shrug. “It's okay, you were busy. I have to go, so I'll talk to you later. Bye.” With that, they both hung up and Jack placed his phone back into his pocket, giving Mark a shy smile as he peeked out from behind his hair.

“Sorry about that…” He said. Mark just smiled and shook his head before tapping his left wrist as if to indicate time.

“Yeah, it's pretty late. I guess you should be heading back?” Mark nodded and stood up, Jack doing the same. He didn't really wanna say goodbye to Mark, some irrational fear bubbling up in him that this day was just a figment of his wildly active imagination. They stood by the open door for a few seconds before Mark leaned down and kissed the top of Jack’s head.

It was short and sweet and left Jack almost breathless. With a short goodbye and promise of future plans, Mark waved as he walked out the door. Jack didn't close it until he couldn't see the red of Mark’s hair in the distance anymore.


	7. Chapter 7

They met a few times after that to hang out. Jack invited Mark to the coffee shop to meet Mary and Ken where the three of them instantly clicked. Despite the communication barrier, they'd had a lot of fun. The Aussie girl had always been patient and Ken was just a friendly bear all together. 

T he next week had been fun, and Jack couldn't help but be happy. After all, he was with the boy (man, now) that he'd loved…. _ still  _ loved. After the first few days of meeting up, Jack had quickly realized that his feelings from twelve years ago had never faded, just simply receded due to their distance. Being in Mark’s presence so frequently again, and those small touches and kisses….Jack knew he was still in love. 

And he refused to tell anyone. He was almost completely sure that Mark had moved on. He knew the other man didn't have a girlfriend or boyfriend at the moment (they'd talked about it once and Jack had purposely neglected to mention Felix). The fact that Mark hung out with him so much was not enough to conclude that he wanted to jump back into their relationship. 

Beside, Mark was different now. He was...for a lack of a better word, damaged...hurt. The redhead had always been self-sacrificing and he'd refuse to be in a relationship if he thought he was dead weight. Jack wished he could prove him wrong. But it didn't matter, because Jack would never make his feelings known and they would remain friends until Mark decided he no longer wanted to see Jack again. So they hung out, almost everyday.

And things were good...until  _ he  _ showed up. 

Mark had been telling a story of some cute thing Lukas had done when he was three as Felix stepped through the door of the coffee shop. Everyone had been seated at a booth near the back, Jack not having work that day while Mary and Ken were taking their lunch break. They always took it at the same time as to have more time to spend with each other. It was cute. 

_ He waddled into the room with a toy block in his hand and proceeded to shove it as far into his mouth as he could. I’d never heard Tom scream so loud. At the time, it was terrifying. Now it’s just funny.  _ Jack laughed covering his mouth as his eyes glanced up behind Mark, catching sight of familiar sand blonde hair. His smile dropped and he felt himself tense. Ken, sitting next to him, was the first to notice something was wrong. He followed Jack’s line of sight and spotted Felix immediately. As the four of them were partially hidden near the back, Felix failed to catch sight of them, moving toward the front counter first. 

Cry was currently on shift and from what Ken and Jack could see, he seemed to ask where the Irishman was. Unfortunately, Cry wasn’t aware of the situation and pointed toward where they were sitting, giving their position away. Jack’s hands clenched as he locked eyes with Felix. Mark and Mary finally realized something was wrong. The Aussie girl was quick to turn around and notice who was here while Mark simply looked at Jack with concern and curiosity in his eyes, talking Jack’s hands into his in an attempt to relax the now obvious tension.

_ You okay?  _ He mouthed when Jack turned his attention back to him. The Irishman shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to lie. Things were going to suck right now, and his best option to lessen the bullshit that resulted from the situation was to be truthful. Seconds later, a shadow was cast over their table as Felix came to stand over by them, plastic smile on his face. He’d seen when Mark had took hold of Jack’s hands and wasn’t entirely too happy about it. 

“Hello, love…” He said, voice a bit too sickly sweet. Jack resisted the urge to shiver. When he went to move his hands from Mark’s hold, he was surprised to feel his grip tighten. Jack glanced at Mark’s face only to see the other man’s eyes narrowed in annoyance and suspicion. The Irishman could feel his heartbeat pick up a little bit at the gesture. With some renewed confidence, he turned his attention back to Felix. 

“I’ve told you already. Don’t call me that. Don’t call me ‘love, honey, babe,’ or any of that other shit. It’s done, Felix. Just leave.” Again, Mark’s grip tightened just a bit more. Not enough to hurt, but enough for Jack to know that Mark was gonna want to know the story behind what was currently going on. 

“Oh, Jacky, that’s what you said last time and you still took me back. What makes this time anymore different?” Mark growled somewhere deep in his throat, making Felix flinch slightly. Jack felt his cheeks heat up at the possessive growl. It was…. _ surprising.  _ He had no idea why Mark was acting this way. After all, they weren’t dating. Not anymore. Mark didn’t like Jack; they were just friends now. Mary took his silence as her chance to step in. 

“Excuse me, but you’re kind of annoying me and my friends right now. I’d take this as your chance to leave before something you’ll regret ends up happening.” She warned. It was strange, seeing such a girl turn from sweet and funny to angry and annoyed so quickly. Felix rolled his eyes.

“What are you gonna do, convict?” He huffed. Ken stood up, then. Despite Ken’s personality, he could turn a lot darker the second Mary was insulted. A low sound found its way out from his throat as he took a short step towards the blonde man, standing over him. He wasn’t so much taller, but his broader frame made him look much more intimidating. 

“You better watch your goddamn mouth in my shop. Call her that, or bother any of my friends again, you won’t be walking out of this store as pretty as you walked in. Turn around, and get your fucking ass out now.” Ken’s voice was low and dark. Jack couldn’t help but shiver uncomfortably. He’d never seen his friend and boss like this before. It was terrifying, to say the least. Felix grinned as though he was happy with the reaction he’d gotten. No part of him screamed intimidated, like Ken’s threats had done nothing to scare him at all. Instead of responding, he instead peaked his head over Ken’s shoulder to talk directly to Jack.

“I’ll call you later, when scar kid is gone. And oh yeah! You’re dear sister Signe called. She wants to know why we broke up… You shouldn’t spread lies, love.” He said before turning away and walking towards the door, letting it swing with a loud bang as it shut behind him. Ken dropped back into his seat, the tension and anger fading, making him tired. Mary took no time at all to lean over the table and kiss him, telling him it’s okay and that things were fine, that she was fine.

Jack realized belatedly that he was shaking from top to bottom, shivers running through his body. He’d….he called Mark  _ scar kid _ . When the words had first passed through his lips and into the air, Jack had felt Mark’s body jerk slightly from where their hands were connected. The fact that he’d ever been with a man who said things like that? It shocked him. Mark finally moved his hands but before Jack could miss the warmth and comfort, there was a finger wiping his wet cheeks. Not only did he fail to realize he’d been shaking, but he  always neglected the tears falling down his face. 

Shit, no one had ever affected him so negatively before, not since he was a kid. Back when he’d first moved to the states as a kid, people had made fun of his extremely pale skin and odd accent. Thinking about it now...Mark had been the one to wipe his tears away then, too. Without thinking, he reached his own hand to cover Mark’s before the other man could pull it away. 

“S-sorry. I’ll be okay in a second…” He whispered, voice too broken from held back tears to speak properly. When he looked up, all he could see was the warmth in Mark’s gaze. The care, the worry, and...the love. It shocked Jack, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit better seeing it there. Maybe, just maybe, the possibility of Mark liking him back wasn’t completely impossible. 

The four of the sat there for a while until Ken and Mary’s breaks ended. They were reluctant to go back to work, but someone still had to manage to shop and Mary didn’t plan on leaving Ken by himself. Not after what had just happened. With a short goodbye, Mark helped Jack stand and walked with him to the front door. The Irishman held a vice grip on Mark’s arm, scared that if he let go, Mark would just leave him by himself or disappear before his eyes. Once they were outside, Mark waited until Jack was stable before pulling his hands away to sign.

_ Home? _ He asked. Jack shook his head quickly. Felix knew where he lived. There was a chance he was already waiting for him to be there. Mark gave an understanding smile before signing again. 

_ My house? _ Jack looked up with pleading eyes. He didn’t want to be alone and if he was being honest with himself, Mark was the only person he wanted to see right now. To be able to go home with him and not care about his stalker ex was something he could not and would not say no to. Mark nodded his head and took hold of Jack’s hand again, leading his to his hybrid, gently getting him into the passenger seat. Jack’s shading had subsided but the entire encounter had left him tired and slightly weak. After he was all seated, Mark walked around to the other side before sliding into the driver’s seat.

A passing thought on how Mark could drive after his incident crossed Jack’s mind. If his theory was correct, Mark’s inability stemmed from some sort of car accident. It was a wonder that he could still drive. Too tired to continue thinking, he pushed the thought from his head and let his eyes drift closed, a small thank you passing through his lips before he fell asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to reiterate this....
> 
> I DO NOT HATE FELIX. 
> 
> This is purely a work of fiction and does not reflect my true feelings about any of these people. I love them all. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Sorry it's been so long, just been a bit busy with school and the bullshit fact that I still have work to do even though classes are goddamn over. Oh well....


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. Also, this chapter is a bit shorter and is more of a filler than anything. I didn't really know what to write, so sorry. I hope you enjoy regardless ^^

Jack woke up warm, wrapped up in strong arms and pulled close to a bare chest. It took him a few moments of silence to realize where he was and when he did, his face flushed pink. Careful not to be disruptive, Jack twisted carefully in place until he came face to face with a man’s chest.

When he looked up, other man had his mouth open slightly, soft breaths blowing Jack’s hair every so often. Thick black lashes covered the top of his tanned cheeks. To Jack, he looked almost angelic.

Mark without his glasses was always a rare sight to see. He never liked being without them; his vision being quite horrible without their aid. When Jack and Tom had brought up the idea of contacts, Mark had shot them down immediately, claiming he didn't trust himself enough to actually touch his eye every morning and not fuck something up.

Jack had realized he didn't mind. Seeing Mark both with and without his glasses was enough for him. Jack was quite content to just stay where he was, in Mark’s warm arms, but his bladder didn't seem to agree with him. After a few minutes of trying to fight his natural bodily needs, Jack finally attempted to extract himself from Mark’s arms without waking up the red-head.

It was a complete failure. Mark’s muscles weren't just for show. The one wrapped around Jack’s waist refused to budge, no matter how much Jack tried to push at it. He was about to give up when Mark finally woke up, the jostling of the bed enough to make him open his eyes and realize what was going on. His eyes widened in surprise when he caught sight of Jack, as though he wasn't expecting to see him there, but his features quickly fell away into a pleased smile.

Jack couldn't help but smile back. “Uh, sorry Mark, but I kinda have to pee. Much as I like your arm around me, it's a bit inhibiting.” He confessed. His voice was a bit scratchy, but he ignored it. Mark seemed to noticed Jack was right and almost reluctantly moved his arm.

The second he did, Jack felt a rush of cold. Ignoring the feeling, he hopped up from the bed. Mark pointed to where the bathroom was and Jack found himself relieving his issue in seconds. Once everything was all done, he washed his hands and returned to the room.

Mark was still in bed and motioned for Jack to join him when he spotted the Irishman. Jack didn't hesitate and quickly found his head lain comfortably on Mark’s bare chest. The other man was like a furnace, burning warm and cozy.

Jack felt like he should be nervous or confused or awkward. After all, their relationship hadn't changed due to just one night. Mark had only taken him home because Jack couldn't deal with the idea of Felix being at his apartment to terrorize him.

The thought even now terrified him. No, Mark was just being a good person. A good person who hugged their platonic friend at night bare chested, and was doing it again.

The thought made him flush pink. Memories of the previous day popped up and he couple help but remembered Mark’s reaction to Felix’s words. He'd growled, and had refused to release Jack’s hand until the blonde had finally left.

It was almost like the redhead had been possessive and protective. It was confusing, and Jack wanted to know if there really was a possibility that Mark wanted to be ‘more than friends’ again. It seemed a big leap to go after twelve years of separation, but Jack couldn't help but want it to be true.

Slowly, he fell back asleep, thoughts of being together with Mark again finding their way into his dreams. As he finally slipped off, he felt a gentle kiss at the top of his head, similar to the one Mark had been rather fond of giving him lately. 

* * *

When Jack woke up again later that day, he was alone. He rolled over onto what had been Mark’s side of the bed and found it still warm. Whenever the other man had left, it had been fairly recent.

Jack didn't want to get up. Whatever Mark’s bed was made of, it was too comfortable to move from. All he wanted to do was just stay there forever. Unfortunately, he knew he couldn't. Instead, he sat up and glanced at the clock that was on Mark’s nightstand. It was about 12:30, a lot later than he was used to waking up.

Jack blamed it on Mark and his bed. Slowly, he pushed himself up and realized quite belatedly that he was in a plain t-shirt way too big for him and his own boxers. Even waking up earlier, he'd been too out of it to realized that between getting to Mark’s house and falling asleep, the other man had managed to undress Jack from his outside attire and get him into something a bit more bedtime appropriate.

The thought was an interesting one. Choosing to not think about it now, he exited the bedroom and found himself at the end of a hallway. At the other end, he could hear movement. He rightfully assumed it was Mark and was caught by the sight of the other man moving around the kitchen rather gracefully, cracking eggs into one pan while flipping pancakes in another.

The smell was nearly mouthwatering. Jack couldn't really remember the last time he'd had a proper breakfast. He'd never been a good cook, so most of the time, it was a piece of toast with jam and peanut butter before he was out the door. This, however, was basically the whole nine yards.

When Mark caught sight of the Irishman, he shot him a smile and motioned for Jack to sit at the counter. Jack easily managed to push himself onto one of the high chairs and watched as Mark finished up what he was doing. A few minutes later, a plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes topped with copious quantities of syrup (just the way Jack liked it) was in front of him.

Mark pushed a similar plate, though with less syrup and more bacon, next to it before taking a seat on the right of Jack. He grabbed a paper pad from where it hung on a nearby wall and preceded to write before sliding it over to Jack.

_Breakfast is served. I think I remember what you use to like._ It said. Jack grinned at his friend (it didn't matter what they ended up being later. For now, they were friends).

“It's perfect.” He said before digging in. They ate in comfortable silence, but once they were done, Jack didn't really know what to do next. He couldn't go home, not just yet, but he also didn't want to intrude any more than he already had on Mark. Beside, he needed a day, or maybe five, to go over Mark and his relationship.

The way it seemed to be going… It was one he wanted for sure, but maybe it was a bit too fast and confusing? Jack didn't ever know for sure that Mark felt that way again. After all, the other man was such a friendly person, it could've been his default reaction to act so protective. Jack selfishly hoped that wasn't the truth. Two seconds away from speaking to Mark, he was interrupted by a notepad being pushed in his direction.

_That guy yesterday… I don't mean to be pushy or nosey but…is he your boyfriend?_ Jack almost choked on his own spit. Glancing up, Mark looked nervous. His eyes were down, paying attention only to his hands as he twirled his thumbs around each other.

“No!” Jack shouted, surprising both of them. Mark’s head flew up and brown eyes met blue. “I mean...he was, but not anymore.” Jack amended. Mark’s smile looked almost relieved, like he had been hoping Jack was single.

“We dated for a while and then he...did some things. I broke up with him. He decided he didn't want that.” Mark looked worried about that but Jack just shrugged his shoulders.

“It's okay. He hasn't done anything too bad. Beside, I have you to protect me now, it seems.” It was meant as a joke but the look on Mark’s face let Jack know that he believed it 100 percent. Something about it made Jack kinda warm inside.

“What about you? Have you dated anyone since…” He trailed off. Mark shook his head. It was kind of a surprise. Mark had always been the more popular of the two and in early high school, boys and girl both sought for his attention. Plus with their twelve years of separation, Mark had grown into quite an exceptional specimen of a man.

It was strange he didn't have people fighting over him for his affections. Thinking about it though, Jack felt a queasy feeling deep down in his stomach he realized was jealously. He fought it down. Mark reached back for the notepad and jotted something else down.

_Ken called earlier and said you can take today off. How about we go watch a movie?_ Jack blushed at the thought. A dark theater ‘alone’ with Mark? He couldn't really say no to that.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short. 
> 
> I'm sorry

The movie they end up watching is pretty crappy. It's filled with CGI and there's not really a moment either of them aren't cringing at the awkward and almost god-awful dialogue. It's still fun, though. There are parts where Jack’s barking out laughter and Mark is just grinning.

Halfway through the film, Jack turned to glance at Mark, only to notice the other man had been watching him. It was too dark in the theater for Jack to see his eyes, but he was sure of it. When Mark noticed that his staring had been caught, he smiled a bit goofily. Jack couldn't help but think it was kinda cute.

The rest of the movie went smoothly. Somehow by the end of it, Jack’s head had fell onto Mark’s shoulder and Mark had absentmindedly ran his fingers through the Irishman’s hair. They both left with a smile on their face, and Jack could help but feel tempted to skip a little.

It was like back then, hanging out with Mark and doing random things with no real plan. Usually, they would meet up at one or the other’s house and then alternate who picked where to go for the day. In the end, they always ended up back home, wrapped up in each other and sleeping. Mark spent a lot of his time in Jack’s house and even had his own drawer for clothes in Jack’s room.

As they stepped into Mark’s car, Jack realized how happy he was. After the year or so with Felix and then the events that occurred after he'd broken it off, Jack had been a rather depressed individual. It was why he'd been in the park that day he saw Mark again. Not only had he missed Ireland, but just being alone in his apartment was too much for him. Jack was a social creature.

He craved contact, and being away from it for too long had negative effects on him. Being around Mark again had started to make him feel alive again, human. Jack’s thoughts had been distracting him until he realized Mark hadn't put his key into the ignition yet.

Glancing at his friend’s face, Jack noticed the paleness of his normally suntanned skin. He looked almost sickly as he gripped his keys in white knuckled hands.

“Mark? Are you okay?” Jack asked slowly. His voice was low; like he was frightened Mark might jump out of his skin if he spoke too loudly. The redhead shook his head almost mechanically. Jack began to worry.

“Mark, come on, look at me.” Come on.” He urged. Mark turned his face towards his friend and Jack realized what was going on. Mark was having some variation of a panic attack. Shit, Jack cursed in his head. Mark’s breaths came out quick and uneven, and Jack was sure that if he let that up, he'd pass out soon.

Carefully, he pulled the keys out of Mark’s hands and jumped out of the car, circling around to the other side. He opened Mark’s door and pulled him out before searching for somewhere to seat him. There were a few benches and tables near the front of the theater, so Jack led him over to one of them and gently sat Mark down.

The other man gripped Jack when he tried to pull away and kneel down in front of him. Even now, Mark’s grip was vice like, and no matter of trying would get him to let go. Jack didn't really want him to. If he was the only thing that was keepin Mark grounded right now, then so be it. Jack maneuvered himself so that he could look at Mark face to face and began to talk.

“Just breathe, Mark. Come on. Deep, slow breaths. Just take your time, there's no rush. I'm right here, I'm not leaving.” It took a while before Mark began to do as guided. He sucked in large gulps of air and held them in for a few seconds before letting it all go. It took a few minutes of gentle guiding and patience for Mark’s breathing to finally even out and return to normal.

When it did, Mark looked so tired. His eyes almost drooped closed and his weight began to lean slightly into Jack. The Irishman didn't really mind, and simply combed through Mark’s hair with his fingers, making sure the other man was okay. He didn't speak, and after what felt like a few more minutes, Mark turned to glance at Jack. He looked guilty, and Jack automatically knew why.

“No apologies. This isn't your fault. Let's just get you back home, okay? I'll drive.” Mark looked like he wanted to protest, his eyebrows drawing up, but one look at Jack’s face, and he knew there was no winning.

Jack led Mark back to the car and when he was sure the other man was okay in the passenger seat, he slid behind the wheel, turned the car on, and drove.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh, things are moving along now, aren't they? And Jack's rather curious to know exactly what happened to Mark. Maybe he'll find out in the next chapter? Just gotta wait for my lazy ass the write it for you to find out...


	10. Chapter 10

Jack had basically ordered Mark to lay down and take a nap the second they got back to his house. The redhead had tried to fight Jack on it, but one stern look had Mark huffing and turning around, heading to his room. Once he closed the door behind him, Jack let out a relieved breath of air.

What had happened back in front of the theater had scared him more than anything else in his entire life. It was worse than thinking about going back to his apartment to see Felix standing there, and that was saying something.

Jack held no doubt in his mind that whatever had caused Mark’s panic attack was also related to the incident that caused his scar and inability to speak. He wanted to know, and he’d promised himself that he wouldn’t push until Mark wanted to tell him on his own time. It was just...it was something that had affected him quite drastically, and Jack wanted to be there to help him through it now because he hadn’t been able to do it before.

Jack had always felt somewhat protective of Mark. Actually, it had been a mutual thing. Jack was troublemaker back when they were kids, and Mark was always there to dig him out of whatever hole the Irishman had managed to throw himself in. Mark, on the other hand, was the naive geek who got taken advantage of more often than not, and Jack was there to shove people aside and lend a hand to his fallen friend.

They supported each other in every way they could, and twelve years apart was not going to just throw away all those instincts. With a sigh, Jack thought of what he was going to do now. As Mark had told him earlier, he was off for the day. He wondered if he should head back home…

After all, overstaying his welcome wasn't something he really wanted to do. However, his need to make sure Mark was okay once he woke back up was a much bigger concern. With a huff, he sat down on Mark’s couch, turning the tv on before flipping through different channels.

A minute or two later, he found something that intrigued him and settled down to watch it.

* * *

 A soft hum poked it's way into Jack’s consciousness. It was a pleasant sound, but one that was also slightly distracting. He was trying to sleep, and whatever or whoever was making that noise was disturbing him. After a few seconds of trying to ignore it, Jack felt a hand on his shoulder.

The hum had stopped, but the prodding at his cheek had just begun. Jack tried to swat at it, grumbling under his breath. When it did nothing to stop the poking, Jack finally opened his eyes. What he was ‘caused him to fall off the couch he'd unexpectedly fell asleep on.

Mark had been only an inch away from his face, chocolate brown eyes staring at him in curiosity. Jack, in surprise, had flailed, resulting with him hitting his head on the carpeted ground as he fell.

“Shit! Fuck, ow…” Jack whined, and when he opened his eyes, he could see the concern and guilt on Mark’s face. The redhead held out his hand for Jack to grab, and Mark pulled him back up to his feet before seating him back on the couch.

 _Okay?_ Mark asked. Jack nodded his head. “Yeah, you just surprised me, is all. Didn't expect to fall asleep on your couch.” He confessed.

 _Sorry…_ Mark signed, and Jack shook his head. “It's not your fault. I'm all good.” He expected that to raise Mark’s mood, but when the other man didn't smile, Jack felt worry rise up in his stomach. Mark stood up from where he'd sat down next to Jack and grabbed the notepad he'd used earlier the same morning. He ripped off the used piece, and began to write, a frown on his face the whole time. When he was finally done, he handed Jack the pad.

 _That's not the only thing I was apologizing about… I wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened earlier as well, my random freak out. I didn't expect it to happen, especially with you there. The fact that you had to deal with that… I'm just sorry. I know it's been killing you trying not to ask the reason for my scar and loss of voice, and I'm thankful for that._ _There are just some days I'm reminded of what happened and I panic. I think...because we’ve gotten so close again, I think I should tell you what happened._

There was more, but Jack paused and looked up to see Mark watching him nervously. He looked a bit fidgety with his hands in his lap and his eyes downcast.

“Mark? Are you sure…? You don't have to tell me if you're not ready. I don't want what happened today to be a reason why you felt the need to tell me.” Jack said. Mark’s head shot up and he shook it vehemently.

 _I'm sure._ He signed, and with that, Jack continued to read.

_I was twenty, and me and a good friend of mine were driving back from dinner. Danny...he'd been the one driving. It was my car that we'd took, but I'd had a drink or two. Being that lightweight I was, we didn't want to risk anything. In the end, it didn't really matter. It turns out, not everyone is as careful as us. I had a pretty crappy car then. It was already battered and used, but as far as first cars go, it was decent. However, it was enough to withstand a drunk driver going almost thirty above the speed limit. He crashed right into my side of the vehicle and the metal managed to cut into my throat and damage my vocal cords and some other things._

_To this day, I still wonder how I survived. When most people think of throat injuries, they think it's the end. That's certainly what I believed. Danny wasn't in as much of a critical condition as I was. The driver who'd hit us had sped away, and Danny managed to snap a picture of his license plate before calling 911. After that...I've been mostly silent ever since. It took me almost a year and a half to be able to step into a car again, least of all drive it. I'm okay now. I went through therapy and everything. There are just some days where I'm reminded of what happened and I get an attack. I know you're worried, but I'm glad you were there, Jack. I'm glad you're back._

Jack blinked and watched as a tear dropped down onto the paper he was leaned over. The drop was followed by another, causing the ink to bleed and blend into each other, making some of the words distorted or unreadable.

He realized he was crying, and when he looked up, Mark was smiling softly at him. Jack threw the notepad to the ground and almost lunged at Mark, throwing his arms around the other man’s neck before burying his face in his shoulder.

Mark’s body tensed in shock, but he quickly relaxed, letting his own arms wrap around Jack despite the awkward position. His hands rubbed the Irishman’s back in an attempt to soothe him. It was the best he could do. After all, he couldn't really speak and tell Jack, “It's okay. I'm okay.”

He could feel tears soak into his shirt, and Mark held onto Jack until the other man finally pulled back, running at his eyes and nose. His pretty blue eyes were watery and red, and due to his pale skin, the tip of his nose was a bright pink. Mark kind of wanted to kiss him there. It felt like the perfect opportunity to do so. Instead, he brushed his lips on the top of Jack’s head. Forehead kisses would have to do for now.

“S-sorry… I didn't mean to turn into a gigantic baby. I just…I wish I was there. I wish I never left. I wish I was there so I could've helped you. Instead, I was being a stupid little Irish boy in Ireland.” Jack rubbed at his eyes again but stopped when he felt Mark pull them away. The redhead thought about signing, but decided to mouth his words instead.

 _Me too, but what matters the most is that you're here now._ Jack nodded his head before leaning forward to hug Mark again. They ended up staying like that for a while, Jack wrapped up in Mark’s arms. The tv was still on from before Jack had fallen asleep, but the Irishman was more concerned with the humming coming from Mark.

It was the same song he'd heard when he had been waking up, but it sounded a lot better when he wasn't caught in the clutched of sleep. Despite Mark’s inability to talk or sing, the sounds that still came out of his mouth were still oddly beautiful.

He thought about recording Mark’s humming and playing it on repeat when he went to bed. It had that sort of tone to it, a very soothing and relaxing one.

Without him realizing, Jack began to fall asleep once again, his head laying right over Mark’s chest, drifting deeper to the sound of both pleasant humming and a comforting heartbeat, reminding him that Mark was here right now, and he wasn't going anywhere soon.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we finally get the story of what happened to Mark! Hopefully it wasn't crappy and hopefully you all liked it. I like the idea of Mark humming Jack to sleep. It's nice.


	11. Chapter 11

Their relationship changed after that. It wasn't an entirely obvious change. It was more subtle. Now these days, Jack would sit a bit closer to Mark. The two would touch more. Mark would smile in Jack’s direction a lot more often. Neither realized the change, but regardless, it had happened.

A week after Mark’s confession, they were both at Ken’s shop. Jack’s shift was due to end in fifteen minutes and Mark wanted to be there to pick him up. While the Irishman continued to work, Mark had something else to confess, but this time, it was to Mary.

_I like him. Well, scratch that. I never stopped liking him. Even after twelve years, my feelings never disappeared._ He wrote on a napkin. Mary smiled softly at him.

“Then you should tell him, Mark. From what I've seen, you two work well with each other.” She said honestly. Mark didn't look convinced. Twelve years was a long time. While Mark had never really moved on, Jack sure as hell had. After what had happened a week ago, Mark knew they'd definitely gotten closer. Jack had even cried himself to sleep on his shoulder. Did friends do stuff like that? Mark didn't really know. He didn't have many friends these days.

Despite all that, Felix was still a personal problem for Mark. The blonde-haired blue-eyed man was the source of a lot of Mark’s hesitation. If Jack could have liked a man like that, even if he sure as hell didn't want to even look at him anymore, then couldn't that mean that Jack had also moved on from people like Mark? Besides, after the incident, Mark’s self-esteem had dropped into non-existence. He was broken, damaged. No one would like a person with as ugly scars as he had.

_That's impossible_ , he told Mary. _He moved on. I never did. I'm lucky as is that he likes me enough to be friends now. I'm a freak_. Mary froze when she read that part, eyes widening before she ripped the napkin in anger.

“That's not true! I see the way he looks at you. You think he's moved on, but he's in the same boat. Don't let him leave again, okay? You two are good for each other.” She said, the look on her face leaving no room for argument. Not that Mark really wanted to argue with her. Mary had a way of being persuasive in a way that really made you want to believe her. Maybe she was right. Mark wasn't entirely sure, but he wanted to at least try.

_Should I ask him out on a date?_ He asked her. At that, Mary grinned and nodded her head.

“Go for it. I'm sure he'll be excited. With that, Mark made his decision. He'd ask Jack out for dinner and if he said yes, he'd drop him home, leave them both enough time to shower and get dressed, and then pick him up and go somewhere nice. All of a sudden, Mark felt very giddy. He was excited at the prospect of going on an actual date with Jack.

Even when they were young, they never did anything more than go to the movies and hang out at each other's houses. An actual dinner date was something he'd never even really thought of. With a grin, Mark thanked Mary and she headed towards the kitchen to check on some cupcakes she'd put to bake. It was a new recipe she wanted to try out and she kinda hoped they didn't burn. By the time she'd disappeared in the back, Cry had showed up to take over for Jack, relieving the Irishman from his shift. Once he was done changing out of his work clothes, Jack practically skipped over to where Mark was sitting.

“Thanks for waiting. What to you want to do today?” He asked. Mark handed him the napkin he'd scribbled his request on and waited nervously for his friend’s response. Mark hadn't necessarily stated in his writing that it was a date, but he sure as hell hoped that Jack could read between the words and see what he was hinting at. If the blush on Jack’s face was anything to go by, Mark assumed the Irishman understood exactly what he was going for.

“Uhh, sure. I...I’d love to go. Do you wanna maybe drop me home and pick me up at say...seven?” Jack asked. Mark couldn't help but think that Jack had actually thought of this before; as if he'd planned things out the same way Mark himself had. It made him smile. Maybe Mary was right. Maybe Jack did like him, too. Mark nodded his agreement to Jack’s plan, smiling as the blush grew darker on the other man’s pale skin. It was easy to make Jack blush, and Mark loved to see it. With that, they left Ken’s shop. 

* * *

_Shit_. Jack didn't know what to wear. As soon as Mark had dropped him home, a simple kiss on the forehead as a brief see you later, Jack had rushed up to his apartment and jumped into the shower. The faster he got done with that, the more time he had to pick out a good enough outfit. His shift had ended early today and yet he'd wasted so much time staring at his closet that he had less than a half hour to find something nice to wear.

He had one last resort, something he was hoping he wouldn't have to use, but it seemed like there was no other choice. Grabbing his phone, Jack flipped through his contacts before finally settling on the name he was looking for. He glanced at the time, hoping she'd be awake. A few rings later and the call connected.

“It's fucking 2:34 am, Sean. Whatever it is that you want with me, it better be life threatening.” Jack grinned.

“Glad you're awake, Signe. I need your help.” Jack quickly explained his situation to his sister; he was going on a date! With Mark! Man, had that been a shocker when he'd seen the note Mark had handed him. Thought the word date hadn't really been mentioned anywhere, it was all Jack would really think it meant. Friends didn't just casually invite other friends whom they'd been romantically involved with in the past for just dinner, right? Right? Jack sure as hell hoped not.

As expected, Signe turned into a giddy little girl when he mentioned who we was going to dinner with. He'd explained his situation with Felix to her two weeks ago and after an hour of telling him he was alright and didn't need her to fly over immediately to comfort him, she'd finally calmed down. Of course, their conversation had moved to Mark and it was then that Jack had confessed that old feelings had risen back up.

Rather, feelings that had never disappeared in the first place. Regardless of his relationship with Felix, even back when it was good, Jack could never really forget Mark. He was glad he had this opportunity to reconnect with him on a romantic level tonight. Jack just really wished everything would work out for the best. He missed Mark in every sense.

After about ten minutes, Signe had Jack fitted in a pair of dark jeans, tight enough to ‘accentuate his ass’ (as she'd said), and dark blue shirt that apparently made his eyes pop. Jack thanked his sister and apologized for waking her up so early as she told him good luck and hung up. With that done, Jack’s nerves set back in. He couldn't help but think about what would happen if he fucked up. He couldn't afford to fail because if he did, he might lose Mark not just as a boyfriend yet again, but a friend all together. He sighed and shook the thoughts from his head.

That wasn't the mind set he wanted to leave with. Quickly, he brushed his teeth for the third time since he'd gotten home and fixed his hair for what was the eighth. Everything was in place and before Jack could check his phone for the time, there was a knock on his door. The Irishman almost jumped out of his skin at the sound but quickly regained his composure, walking quickly over to his door before unlocking it. What he saw before him was…breathtaking.

Mark was dressed in a red blazer, several shades darker than his fiery hair over a plain white shirt. His jeans hung low on his hips despite the thick black belt holding them in place and Jack could help but think if Mark stretched even just a little bit, it would reveal a thin sliver of tanned skin he just wanted to run his fingers over. Realizing he was staring, Jack blushed and looked up to face Mark, noticing that the other man had caught his staring. Jack felt like he could die.

_You look nice._ Mark said smiling. Jack nodded. “Y-you too. You look really nice." Mark grinned. _Ready?_ He asked. At that, Jack said yes. He grabbed his keys and wallet from where he left them on the coffee table and ran back to the door, locking it behind him as he left. He followed Mark’s lead at they headed towards the other man’s hybrid. Jack wondered how exactly the night was going to go, praying to whoever was listening that nothing would go wrong. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so they head off for a date! Hopefully no one disturbs them. Particularly a blonde haired, blue eyed man....


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY. IT'S BEEN SO LONG. I went on a family vacation to DR for a week and when I came back, I literally had no idea what to write, evidenced by how god awful the majority of this chapter is. I apologize for the wait and the crappy writing, but I hope you can forgive me?

Jack had been expecting a small diner or burger joint when Mark had asked him out for dinner. What he'd gotten instead was a rather nice looking restaurant that he would never have known existed. It looked like the type of place that was way beyond his payroll and instantly felt nervous. Was this the type of place Mark came to frequently? Had he ever taken a date here before? That thought almost shut Jack down.

He remembered that he'd never asked if Mark had dated someone after their breakup. Not that it was really his place to ask. After all, not like they were really dating again. This wasn't a date. It was just dinner between two friends. That left a lump in Jack’s throat and he couldn't help but want to run back home and away from Mark. However, almost like the redhead had some sort of mind reading powers, he turned to Jack and gave him a warm smile. It helped to relieve his overactive thoughts and he felt a lot lighter as Mark led him to the front desk of the restaurant.

“How many are in your party?” The woman asked politely. Mark held up his hand with two fingers up. The woman didn't seem confused or put off by Mark’s lack of speech, instead nodding before grabbing two menus and motioning for the two of them to follow her. They were seated near the back in what felt like a very intimate spot. The lighting was a lot more dimmed down compared to the front where families and older couples sat. Jack felt his cheeks heat up and flush red, somewhat both thankful and for the lighting, and cursing it for causing his predicament in the first place.

 _Okay?_ Mark asked him, and Jack nodded a quick ‘yes’. He was more than okay. Mark grinned at him, the smile a bit nervous and shy, which confused the Irishman. Why was Mark shy? As he’d said earlier to himself, this wasn’t a date...right? Those thoughts were pushed from his head when their waiter arrived, a young man with light brown hair and a rather skinny stature. He looked more like a highschooler than someone who worked at a restaurant like this. Mark signed a few letters to the waiter, Jack reading them as ‘ _M-A-T-T_ ’. Whoever the kid was, Mark knew him.

“Hey, Mark. Nice to see you here again. Who’s the friend?” ‘Matt’ said with an almost flirty grin. Something about the waiter’s familiarity with Mark had Jack’s insides twisting uncomfortably. He couldn’t quite name the feeling, though he knew it was definitely one he didn’t want to feel for much longer. Not realizing his attitude, Jack answered before Mark in a very clipped and cold tone.

“Jack, his date.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Jack felt like throwing up. Had he really just said that? Did those words really come out of his mouth? He wasn’t so much put off by the fact that he’d considered himself Mark’s ‘date’, but rather that he’d said it so bluntly to a complete _stranger_ , and quite rudely too. Mark turned and looked at him with wide, startled eyes, but it quickly fell away to reveal a smile and laugh that had begun to grow on Jack. It wasn’t quite the old ‘Mark laugh’ that Jack had made fun of in their teenage years, but it was Mark’s laugh nonetheless, and yet another new thing Jack had found himself falling in love with. It was one of the reasons Jack knew his feelings were real.

He wasn’t in love with Mark because the idea of getting back together would be a cool story of ‘true love through time’ to gossip about with people, but rather because even now, even after twelve years, Jack was still finding new facets of what made Mark ‘ _Mark_ ’. Facets he couldn’t help but find interesting. Mark wasn’t perfect, he didn’t try to be, and that’s why Jack was in love. Realizing his mind had drifted, Jack turned his attention back to his current, rather embarrassing situation.

Mark had stopped laughing, but his smile was still in place as he signed to Matt. The Irishman couldn’t make out all the words (he’d been trying to learn again, asking Cry for short lessons during their overlapping breaks), but from the young waiter’s reaction, everything was okay. Jack really hadn’t known what had come over him. When Mark was done, Jack said his apologies and quickly learned that Matt was just a friend due to Mark’s rather frequent appearance at the restaurant he worked at. Jack couldn’t help but wonder who else Mark had brought here before Matt unwittingly put his thoughts to ease.

“This is the first name he’s brought a date. Normally, it’s Lukas and Thomas.” Jack smiled at that and when he glanced at Mark, noticed the slightly embarrassed flush of pink on his friend’s cheeks. It was a rare thing to make Mark blush. Normally, that was Jack’s forte.

“Well, I must be special, then.” He said, smile shifting into a grin as he watched Mark’s blush spread. Matt smiled back. Things turned rather comfortable after that. Matt made a bit more small talk before finally taking their orders and turning away to actually do his job rather than lolligag. When their food arrived, Matt had also brought a small notepad for Mark to use. He normally didn’t use one because both Matt and Thomas knew sign language, but Mark had requested one for Jack’s sake.

 _So...jealousy, huh?_ Mark joked once Matt was gone. Jack almost choked on his first bit of rice as he read over the note. “W-what do you mean? I’m not jealous.” The Irishman said quickly, heavy denial coloring his words. Mark smiled.

 _I didn’t say you were. Just asked how you felt about it._ He wrote, the teasing evident. They went back to eating in comfortable silence. It was another thing Jack had learned to enjoy with Mark. While back in the day, their time was filled with constant conversations about everything and nothing at the same time, it was different now. Jack could spend hours of silence with Mark and feel happy all the same.

He’d rationalized that it was most likely due to just him being happy that he could be with Mark again in the first place. He didn’t want to push their relationship past any invisible lines he’d yet to discover. Once they were done with the main course, Jack noticed Mark acting a bit fidgety, almost nervous like in his seat. His gaze didn’t quite match Jack’s as it normally did, and Jack was beginning to get quite concerned.

"Is everything okay?” Jack asked as they waited for dessert. Jack had been the one to order it, asking for one double decker chocolate cake for the two of them to share. Mark didn’t move to answer for a few seconds before finally grabbing his notepad.

 _Is this a date...?_ Jack read the words over and over in his head, not sure how to react to them. Damn, he really wished it was, but he hadn’t wanted to assume. Finally, he spoke. “I-If you want it to be.” He said. Mark’s head shot up from where he’d been looking down at his lap. He nodded almost violently, making Jack wonder if he wouldn’t catch a headache by doing that.

 _I do. I really do. I know it was years ago, and your own feelings may have changed, but I never stopped loving you._ Mark confessed. Jack was shocked, but he was also happy. All the confusing thoughts he’d had before this date, because it really was a date now, melted away. “I never stopped loving you, either.”

As the words left his mouth, he spotted a shock of blonde hair over Mark’s shoulder. A chill ran up his spine.

“Not here… Not now…” He mouthed under his breath, hoping Mark wouldn’t notice. Luck, however, was not on his side. Confused, Mark turned in his seat and spotted Felix at a table not all that far from them. A petite girl, brunette with somewhat fair skin sat across from him, a broad smile on her face as she spoke to her Swedish companion. Mark felt what resembled burning rage in his veins from just seeing the blonde in his general vicinity, in _Jack’s_ general vicinity.

To make the whole situation worse, it didn’t take long for Felix to notice someone staring at him. His blue eyes glanced up and met Mark’s, a shark-like grin forming on his lips as he realized what was going on. The girl he was with turned around as well, and once her face was revealed, Mark heard Jack let loose a little gasp.

“It’s her… Of course it’s her…” Mark turned his attention back to the Irishman and noticed the tears in his eyes. He knew they had to leave, and they had to do it now. Unfortunately, he was not fast enough. Before he could get the attention of the waiting staff. A shadow stood over their table. Mark looked up to see Felix standing there with the girl at his side, their hands clasped together in a way that spoke beyond just a casual friendship.

“Hello, there. Didn’t think I’d see you guys here.” Felix spoke, his voice almost slithering its way through the air. Jack flinched and Mark instinctively took his hand, the same way he had in Ken’s coffee shop. Jack gratefully latched on before bringing his eyes up. “Hello. Felix. Marzia.” Her name burned on his tongue slightly as he forced it out. He had no ill will towards her, but the fact that she was here meant that nothing had actually changed. His day had been going wonderfully, he’d finally confessed to Mark again, but of course, the powers that be had ruined it all.

“It’s nice to see you again, Jack. It’s been awhile.” Marzia spoke in a cheery tone. Her accent was nearly as thick as Felix’s. Marzia had always been oblivious to the happenings between Felix and him, something Jack wanted to keep that way. She’d never done anything wrong, and thus deserved not to be dragged into a mess she didn’t have anything to do with. It was purely between Jack and Felix.

“It has. Nice to see you here.” He said, trying hard to keep his voice from sounding clipped. She smiled and nodded before turning to Mark.

“Who’s your friend?” She asked. Felix chuckled under his breath. “Yeah, who is your _friend?_ ” He reiterated, the hidden meaning in his voice oblivious to Marzia’s ears. Felix was playing games with him, and from the way Mark’s grip on his hand tightened, the redhead didn’t seem to be too much of a fan. Jack swallowed the lump in his throat before gathering the courage to answer.

“Mark, my _boyfriend.”_ He said confidently. Jack took almost physical pleasure from seeing the smile slip from Felix’s face. The blonde hadn’t been the only one shocked by the confession. Mark turned to face Jack, a pleased grin on his face that made Jack feel like everything was going to be okay.

“Ohh, that’s so nice! Please to meet you, Mark. My name is Marzia. I’m an old friend of Jack’s.” Marzia slipped her hand out of Felix’s to offer to Mark who took it politely. “Yes… How _nice._ ” Felix almost spat out. The venom in his words were so thick, it even startled Marzia, however she brushed it off as mishearing. The four of them watched each other briefly in silence before Matt arrived with the shared dessert. It shocked everyone back into moving.

“Sorry, we’ll go sit down and let you finish your date. Nice to see you again, Jack, and nice meeting you, Mark!” Marzia said before dragging Felix back to their table. Mark watched as Felix shot them a glare before returning to whatever facade he’d been giving Marzia. When they were gone, Jack let out a relieved breath before shyly looking up at Mark through his eyelashes.

“Sorry.” He said quietly. Mark quirked an eyebrow at him as if to ask _what for?_ “I called you my boyfriend. I don’t even know if that’s what you want.” He whispered, as though speaking any louder might scare off the redhead. Mark gave Jack a reassuring smile, one hand still holding onto the Irishman’s as he grabbed the notepad.

 _Do you want to be my boyfriend?_ He asked. Jack nodded. “More than you know.” Mark grinned confidently. _Good, that makes two of us._ With that, Jack’s head snapped up to look at Mark.

“Do you mean it?” He asked, desperation thick in his voice. Mark nodded, and within seconds, Jack had reached across the table to kiss Mark on the lips. It was messy and kind of awkward due to the distance between them, but the feeling of relief flooding through Jack’s body made up for all of it. When he pulled back, Mark had a slightly dazed look on his face.

“I love you.” Jack said, voice a breathy whisper. Mark grinned, mouthing the words back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate it. I doesn't make proper sense, and my pacing is all fucked, but I've waited long enough so it's going up! I'm so sorry. Next chapter will be better, I promise.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all must hate me by now... I've been missing for nearly a month, and I apologize. My senior year has started, and getting use to being in school again is a bitch. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

It was kind of a rush when they reached Jack’s apartment. The drive back had been filled with happy smiles and intimate touches. Jack had never felt so happy to just hold someone’s hand and sit in silence with the man he loved more than anything else in the world.

He’d promised to call Signe as soon as he made it home, but right now, he just wanted to spend more time with Mark, getting a bit more acquainted with his lips again. He was sure his sister would be okay with a later call. The two of them tumbled into Jack’s apartment, the Irishman a little tipsy.

After the entire ‘I love you’ thing had happened and both had calmed down, Jack had relaxed a whole lot more, drinking and laughing with the man who'd been his best friend, and now boyfriend, for nearly as long as he'd been alive.

The world seemed perfect, almost, like everything was in place. When he'd first moved back to the states from Ireland, this time without his family, Jack had been lost.

He’d only known life there as a kid, but now he was an adult living in a foreign world. Meeting Mark again in that park had been like the gods looking down on Jack and deciding to give him a gift for having suffered for so long. Having him as his partner was just the icing on the cake. They fell onto the couch together, somehow ending up with Jack’s back against Mark’s chest.

The redhead had been grinning almost the entire way back, and now it had slipped into a more subdued, silly smile. He wrapped his arms around Jack’s waist, pulling the smaller man as close to him as physically possible before burying his face in the crook of Jack’s neck, letting out a long relieved breath.

It had been a long and exciting day, and now, all he wanted to do was settle in with the love of his life. It was pleasantly silent for a few moments before Jack spoke.

“Thank you, Mark.” The redhead moved his face so that he could look at Jack, a confused quirk in his eyebrow, as if to ask ‘what for?’ Jack laughed.

“Thank you for everything. Thank you for finding me on that bench. Thank you for inviting me out with you. Thank you for hanging out with me. Mostly, thank you for loving me. I haven't felt like this in a long time.” His voice quivered a bit at the end, but he held it back.

Mark, despite the awkward angle, surged forward and pressed a hard kiss onto Jack’s lips before mouthing the words ‘I love you’ once more to him. They fell asleep like that, wrapped up in each other, both dreaming of pleasant things. Life, after what had felt like a bad hand, was finally turning around for them. Good things were just beginning.

* * *

 

Jack woke up to neck pain he hadn't experienced since his extended family had been over and he'd been forced to sleep on the couch. Moving slowly and gingerly, he opened his eyes and lifted his head to survey his surroundings.

He was on his couch in his apartment, and before he could truly wonder what the hell he was doing there, memories from the previous night flooded his thoughts. He blushed and looked around, trying to spot Mark.

There was no trace of the redhead other than his shoes and coat and the entrance, leading Jack to believe he was probably in the bathroom. Running water let him know he was right, and Jack finally pushed himself up off the couch, wandering over to his kitchen.

Thankfully, Mark had already turned the coffee maker on, and Jack poured himself a cup: black, with a tiny bit of sugar. Once it was cooled down enough, he took large gulps to try and wake himself up. The kinks in his neck still hurt, so he tried to stretch before shrinking back in pain.

“Note to self: never sleep on that damn couch again.” He muttered under his breath. Even Mark’s couch had been more comfortable. He could hear as the shower was turn off and a curtain was pulled back. A couple seconds later, Mark was leaning out into the hall, a rather small towel wrapped around his lean waist. He smiled brightly when he spotted Jack, who was trying to contain his blush.

He'd never seen so much of Mark before. At least, not this version of Mark. Not the buffer, broader, older, and sexier version. Jack spun around on his heel as soon as he realized he’d been staring for a bit too long.

“S-sorry! Umm, if you want clothes...though I don’t think they’ll really fit, there’s a drawer in the room with sweatpants and baggy t-shirts.” The Irishman said in a rush. His heart beat so heavily in his chest, he could barely hear the footsteps getting louder as they approached him. Jack was almost startled when an arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him flush back to chest with Mark.

The heat of his warm, damp skin seemed to seep through the thin material of his blue shirt. Jack could feel as Mark leaned forward, wrapping his other arm around the smaller man as well before pressing his face into the juncture of his neck. Jack shivered, his neck always having been a sensitive place.

Mark placed several soft, chaste kisses along his neck, smile obvious as he pulled back. Jack turned his neck to face the redhead. His lips were barely parted, letting out tiny breaths of air and his eyes seemed bright. Mark grinned before mouthing _thanks_ and releasing Jack from his grip.

He turned and walked down the hall to what he presumed was the other man’s room, finding the drawer he’d been directed to and pulling out a pair of sweats and a random shirt. Jack was left in the hall, stunned and still. He still wasn’t entirely sure how to react to what had just happened. His body sure did. He could feel his torso warm up and his face felt like it was burning with how hard he was blushing.

As teenagers, they’d never gone farther than a few kisses here and there, almost like they were testing the waters to see how far they could push. Jack realized, perhaps that was Mark was trying to do now: test the waters of their new relationship.

They were both older now, twelve years older. Chaste kisses were something they knew already. Maybe it was time to push past that. Jack shook the thoughts from his head, forcing himself to start moving again. He headed back towards the kitchen and fixed another set of coffee, this time for Mark.

Sooner than he thought, the redhead appeared beside him, clothed in a tighter than necessary white t-shirt and pants that stopped just above his ankles. It was strange. Mark and Jack were both the same height, yet Mark seemed to always look just a bit bigger.

Jack blamed it on his scrawny build. Most of his siblings were the same, except for his eldest brother who had somehow gotten their father’s side of the genes.

Jack smiled at his boyfriend (man, it’ll take awhile to get use to get use to saying that), and handed him the prepared cup of coffee. Having hung out at Ken’s shop for so long with Mark, it hadn’t taken very long for the Irishman to learn his preferred style of the drink. He was about to open his mouth and speak before he heard a familiar sound go off. Jack’s heart almost sank.

He fucked up. Mark gave him a worried look, even putting down his coffee to try and follow Jack when the smaller man lunged for the couch where the 8-bit song was resonating from.

Quickly, he swiped the green button to answer the call, a look of resignation on his face replaced by flinching as Signe began to tear him a new one. Mark only caught bits of what she was saying, though even those didn’t sound all that pleasant. “...in trouble...called me...plane ticket…” That last part made Jack perk up.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, Signe! Plane ticket? Are you coming here?” He asked. Jack sounded simultaneously worried and excited at the same time. It had been a while since he’d seen any of his family in person, and with Signe being the closest person to him, the thought of her coming over to the states was enough to get over the fact that it may be with the sole purpose of killing him. Signe huffed.

“Of course I’m coming. It’s been awhile since the last time I saw you. Plus, I need to reintroduce myself to the man who managed to make you forget to call me until now.” Jack groaned. He knew where this was going.

“How was it? Did he treat you well? Is he hung?” Jack wanted to scream. “STOP, no! That's didn't happen!” He said quickly, restricting his dear sister from continuing that particular line of questioning.

Mark looked worried, but Jack just smiled at him. He could almost hear Signe’s sulk. “Fine, you're no fun. But when I get there, you're telling me everything, no matter how dirty the details. Got it?” Jack sighed. There was no use telling her there were no dirty details. She wouldn't believe him.

They finished the conversation with Signe telling him when she'd be arriving and some ‘see you later’s’ before Jack finally ended the call and let out a relieved breath. Mark, somewhere in the middle of the phone call, had taken a seat next to Jack, patiently waiting for it to end. When Jack dropped the phone onto the couch, he perked up a bit, cocking his head to the side in question.

“Well, I have news. Signe is coming in a week.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it! It took a while to get back into the flow of writing. Also, this is a bit off topic, but I need some assistance. 
> 
> If you are a fan of twenty one pilots, angst, and awesome writing, then I recommend emeraldcitydowntowngirl's 500 Baskets. Show her some love, 'cause regardless of her making fun of my love for Mark and Jack (she calls him market plier and multiplier), she still reads and comments on every chapter.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...it's been almost a full month and hopefully y'all aren't too upset with me... 
> 
> My excuse is that...well, I actually have none. Anyway, I hope y'all will forgive me for such a short chapter. I just wanted to put one out in order to get back into the feel for writing this story. Don't worry! Signe shall be making her grand appearance in the next chapter!

Mark was speechless. Well, speechless in the way that even if he could talk, he wouldn't be able to voice the rather vicious flow of thoughts rushing through his head. Mark hadn't know Signe very well when Jack’s whole family had lived in the states. While back then they hadn't hated each other, Signe had still been the type of person to be incredibly protective Jack which made Mark a sort of...not enemy, but not friend either to her.

The first time Jack had told her that the two of them were dating, Signe had given him the entire ‘hurt him and I kill you’ speech, which had scared him more than he liked to admit. The fact that she was coming here, and in a week, was terrifying. Mark’s eyes fell on Jack who seemed to be trying to contain his excitement. Mark smiled at the Irishman.

Despite his own fears, he was happy that Jack’s sister was coming to visit. He'd told Mark briefly one day that he'd been feeling somewhat homesick. He hoped that Signe visiting would cheer him up a bit.

 _That's great, Jack. I can't wait to meet her again._ Mark signed. Jack had been gradually relearning ASL and as long as Mark went slowly, he could catch most words. Mark had been half relying on his hands not to shake as to not let on his true feelings, but he had to give credit to Jack for catching on to his nervousness.

“Mark, you okay?” The redhead tried to shrug off Jack’s question. _Of course. Why wouldn't I be?_ He asked. Jack narrowed his eyes at him before shifting a little closer on the couch, putting his hands on Mark’s lap.

“It'll be okay, yunno. Signe can be scary, but you've met her before! She's all bark, no bite. I promise.” Mark smiled at his boyfriend and took the Irishman’s hands in his, squeezing them.

 _Thank you._ He mouthed, making Jack grin back at him. They spent the rest of the morning just huddled together on the couch watching Netflix before Mark had to head over to Thomas’ and Jack had to head to work. They made plans to see each other again tonight, and said their goodbyes as Mark dropped Jack off at the coffee shop.

* * *

 

Lukas watched with narrowed eyes as his uncle walked through the door and leaned down to scratch behind Lucy’s ears. Lately, Mark hadn't been over as much and Lukas had a sneaking suspicion that it had to do with his uncle’s old friend that they'd bumped into at the park that day. He may be young, but he wasn't an idiot. One of his friends at school had two moms, and Lukas wasn't about to go judge his uncle for liking a guy.

 _Hey, Lukas._ Mark signed when he spotted his nephew. Despite his age, the boy had gained quite an understanding for sign language and though he couldn't keep up with most of his dad and uncle’s conversations, he could still do simple things.

“Hi, Uncle Mark.” Ever since school had started up again, Lukas had learned to pronounce ‘uncle’ instead of just saying ‘unc’. Mark grabbed the dry erase board Thomas had hung on the wall in the kitchen and wrote something down before handing it to Lukas.

 _Where is your dad?_ It said. Mark hadn't seen his brother in a while, too busy either hanging out with Jack at either of their apartments or with Jack at Ken’s shop. Mark stopped and blushed, realizing just how much time he actually spent with the the Irishman. Lukas shrugged, though he knew perfectly well where Thomas was. He wanted to get some answers out and Mark, and that required minimal distractions.

“Uncle Mark? Can I ask something?” He began. Mark perked up at the question and nodded. “Are you...gay?” The redhead was left stunned. Lukas wasn't like most other kids his age. He was pretty outgoing and a bit too mature when it came to some things, capable of understanding ideas even some adults couldn't comprehend.

Slowly, Mark nodded his head. Surprising him even further, Lukas grinned. “And is your friend Jack your boyfriend?” He continued. Once again, Mark nodded. Lukas looked more than thrilled with himself. He was happy that his uncle had found someone who made him happy.

While he knew most people looked down on those who liked the other sex, Lukas was one hundred percent okay with it. Sarah at school had made sure to tell everyone in class that even though she didn't have a dad, she was happy because she had an extra mom instead. Mark grabbed the dry erase board and wrote a different message, removing the previous one before handing it back to Lukas.

 _Are you okay with this?_ Mark asked. It was the boy’s turn to nod his head.

“Yep! Can he come over for dinner?” Lukas asked. Mark smiled softly and responded on the board. _Sure. I'll ask._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, that was bad but I hope y'all enjoyed it anyway. Next chapter will be better, I promise. I just needed a way to reintroduce Thomas and Lukas since it's been a long time since they were last mentioned
> 
> If you have any suggestions, my tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/theworldinallitshonestterrors


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been over a month, and I literally have no excuse. I'm sorry. Don't kill me!

So in a random turn of events, Signe ended up getting invited to dinner as well. Jack had been more than busy prepping for his sister’s visit and thus was unable to say yes to Mark’s request. Lukas had been somewhat disappointed, but after hearing about why, had asked instead if both Jack and Signe could come.

He'd already spoken to his dad about it, and Thomas was okay with it, as long as Mark was the one cooking. Mark sat in the driver’s seat at the pickup section of the airport as he waited with Jack for Signe to arrive. Her flight had landed about five minutes ago, and during those five minutes of waiting, Mark had been stick still in anxiety.

Jack, of course, had noticed right away and worried that it would trigger a panic attack. After some reassurance from Mark, Jack left the topic alone, but continued to side glance him as they waited. It was silent in the car until the sound of a door opening pulled them both from their thoughts.

“Jeez, LA is _hot_. How can you stand any of this, Sean?” An accented voice drifted from the back seat and both men turned to see a cute light brown haired woman in the back. Jack grinned.

“Signe!” The girl grinned back and leaned forward in her seat, wrapping her arms awkwardly around Jack's headrest in an attempt to hug him. Despite the uncomfortable looking position, Jack leaned into the embrace.

“It's good to see you.” She said. When she pulled back, her eyes instantly went to Mark.

“It's good to see you, too, Mark.” Her eyes drifted to his neck despite everything telling her not to look. The day before, Jack had called and explained the situation with Mark a bit more in depth (with the other man’s permission, of course). Signe had taken it in stride, giving her sympathies and explaining that she'd be on her best behavior.

Despite all that, she couldn't resist looking. After all, it was a very large scar. Most people she'd met had small ones that could easily be overlooked, but Mark’s? It took up most of his neck. The skin was mutilated in a way that it hadn't all healed evenly. Mark noticed, but said nothing. He was used to people looking and now, it didn't really bother him. He gave her a nod of acknowledgement, knowing she wouldn't be able to read his hands even if he could properly sign to her.

“So, where to first? Your apartment? A bar?” Jack laughed, glad that the exchange between Mark and Signe hadn't gone wrong. Maybe in the future, Mark wouldn't as shy and the two of them could get along a lot better.

“My apartment, and then dinner.” He answered. Mark put the car in drive and started back towards Jack’s place as the Irishman explained to his sister the events for the day.

* * *

“How are you feeling?” Mark stopped stirring the sauce he had going on the stove and turned to see Jack leaning against the door frame of Thomas’ kitchen. Originally, Mark had planned to have dinner at his house, but Thomas had insisted, seeing as how he was the one that actually had a proper dining room.

_I'm okay_. Mark replied. He really was. He'd gotten over his initial nerves of seeing his boyfriend’s overprotective sister. Sitting down and talking to her while waiting for everyone to arrive before he started on dinner...it had been comfortable. Of course, she'd gone through the whole ‘hurt him, I kill you’ shtick, but other than that, the conversation was pleasant.

She'd tried to apologize for the staring earlier, but he just smiled and reassured her that it was okay. “So...Lukas knows.” Jack continued, bringing Mark out of his thoughts. He stiffened a bit, but continued to stir his sauce. With his head turned away from the Irishman, Jack’s only sign that Mark had heard him was his nod.

“I'm not mad, if that's what you're worried about. If anything, I'm really happy. I just...worry about Thomas.” Jack confessed. Mark stopped stirring once more and turned the heat off, moving the pot from the hot burner to a cool one. He turned in one fluid motion and moved over to where Jack stood, pulling him into an embrace.

The Irishman stood still until Mark pulled back and released him in order to use his hands. Mark pulled out his phone and opened the notes section, too far from a notepad to write and his message too long for Jack to interpret.

_There's nothing to worry about, the same way you told me not to worry about Signe. Thomas...is bad at expressing his emotions. He likes you._ I promise he won't try and kill you. He gave Jack a _‘got it?’_ look when the other man finished reading. Slowly, Jack smiled and nodded. Mark leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips.

_Good._ He mouthed and moved back with a grin. Jack was slightly flushed pink. It didn't take long for Mark to finish the rest of dinner. He put everything on the table and had Lukas call everyone into the dining room.

Signe walked in along with Thomas, the two of them talking about something neither Jack nor Mark could hear. Thomas laughed at whatever she said before helping Lukas into a seat and taking the one next to him. Once everyone was seated, Thomas spoke.

“So, Markle Sparkle, what do we have for dinner today?” He grinned at his brother. Mark glared at Thomas, having not heard that nickname in years. It was one he wasn't particularly fond of.

_Pasta, you ass. And if you keep that nonsense up, you'll be eating none of it._ He signed to his brother. Jack couldn't keep up with the redhead’s hands, but from Thomas’ expression, the two of them were merely bantering.

“Sorry, sorry.” Thomas said before turning to look at his two main guests.

“Well, it took us long enough to finally have dinner. Lukas had been begging for Mark to bring you over, Jack. And Signe. It's been too long.” Signe and Thomas had known each other when Jack had first lived in the states.

They weren't exactly close, only socializing due to the fact that they're younger siblings were dating. Regardless, they got along well enough when they did see each other, and Mark and Jack were glad that the relationship had continued.

Signe was the one who responded first. “It has been. I'm glad you invited us over, or rather,” she turned to face Lukas with a smile.

“This little guy did.” The boy blushed slightly, with a mock pout.

“I'm not little.” He said. Signe laughed.

“I'm sorry, my mistake.” She corrected. The boy just nodded before turning his attention to Jack, an almost analytical look on his face.

“So...you're uncle Mark’s boyfriend.” Jack, who'd been in the middle of taking a sip of water, almost choked. Thankfully, he managed to get it down the right pipe without spewing his drink across the entire table. Mark, who was sitting right beside him, shook in his chair as he tried to contain his laughter. He was use to his nephew’s blunt behavior.

“Y-yeah. I am.” Jack managed to get out after relaxing his wild heart. He had not been expecting a question like that from such a young kid. Lukas gave Jack one more serious look before breaking out into a grin.

“Good. He likes you a lot.” It was Mark’s turn to blush and choke. They got the rest of the pleasantries over with before finally digging into the food Mark had prepared. It was a comfortable dinner, and Jack couldn't feel happier.

His life was going well. He had a wonderful boyfriend: the only man he'd ever really loved, he was expected by Mark’s family, and his sister was there with him, even for as limited a time as they had before she'd have to go back. Things were good.

If only they could stay that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...hhaaahahah....
> 
> (I did a thing)
> 
>  
> 
> If you wanna come yell at me: 
> 
> http://theworldinallitshonestterrors.tumblr.com


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha....it's been a while. I apologize for the long wait. I really don't know why it took so long but with the constant berating from one of my friends to get my ass in gear (and I promised her a new chapter soon), here it is! I hope you all can forgive me and that you enjoy it.

Signe stayed for a week. It was about as much time as she could take from work. Jack, of course, had been disappointed, though he understood. Mark had been the one to offer this time to drive her to the airport.

During her week long trip, the two had gotten along quite well, better than Jack had hoped. Mark had taught her basic sign language (as well as a few cuss words for fun) and she'd showed him some of her graphic design work she had in progress.

The last night before her flight, the three of them had been in Jack’s apartment, playing some Rocket League. Jack had originally been a bit anxious, hoping the cars crashing into each other and occasionally blowing up wouldn't trigger one of Mark’s attacks.

Signe still wasn't aware of the specifics as to how Mark had lost his voice (only that it had involved a rather terrible accident), and he really didn't want her to find out through one of his boyfriend’s panic attacks.

“Dammit, Mark! You're horrible at this!” Jack turned to face the redhead who grinned at him, showing pearly white teeth. Mark, of course, had been purposely playing terribly, knowing how competitive the Irishman was.

“You know what, you and Signe are on a team. I'm going solo.” Jack ordered. The strawberry blonde shrugged and agreed, not having a problem with the plan.

“Ha! Watch me and your boyfriend kick your ass.” Signe laughed. Mark let out a chuff that was suppose to be a laugh.

“We’ll see about that.” Jack grumbled. Halfway through the round, Jack became aware of how much Mark had originally been fucking with him, the score a dramatic (at least, for them) 4-1 point different.

Mark had gotten most of the goals in with Signe’s assists and the point on Jack’s side hadn't even been made by him, but rather by one of the AI players on his team.

By the end of the night, the three of them were in tears of laughter. Jack was the most happy he'd been in a while.

* * *

After dropping Signe off at the airport and giving a few heartfelt goodbyes, Mark drove Jack home with the promise of seeing him the next day when Jack went to work. He'd offered to pick up the Irishman so that they could spend a bit of time together before his shift started.

“Thanks, Mark.” Jack said, grinning. The redhead smiled back before leaning in to kiss Jack on the cheek.

He signed, _No problem. See you tomorrow._ They waved goodbye and Mark drove off. Jack walked into his apartment exhausted. It was going to take a while to get use to Signe not staying with him anymore. Even during her short trip, Jack had gotten use to her presence, had even appreciated it.

Though his apartment was necessarily very big, it wasn't small either so it was easy to feel lonely. Jack let out a sigh and took his shoes off before changing out his clothes. He was too lazy to shower and instead jumped into bed, pulling the cool sheets over him.

* * *

 Jack rolled over on his side as he kicked the sheets off of his body. For some reason, his room was entirely too hot. It was strange. After all, he hadn't raised the heat in his apartment before going to bed. The night had been relatively warm, so there was no need.

Still half-asleep, he breathed in deeply and nearly choked. Heat hot enough to burn surrounded his body, ‘causing Jack to finally wake up fully. He grabbed for his glasses and what he saw had him gasping.

Dark smoke swirled around him and as Jack pushed himself from his bed, he could see flames spreading across his apartment door. Panic swept through him as he jetted back to his room and grabbed his phone. Never in his life had Jack ever dialed a three digit number before.

There was a slight dial before a woman’s voice answered calmly, “This is 911. What is your emergency?” Jack spoke in garbled gibberish, prompting the woman to ask his to repeat, but slower. As he tried to, smoke filled his lungs again, and he coughed, the action scraping against his throat till it felt raw.

He tried to speak again, and managed to give his apartment address. As the phone clicked off, he heard someone scream and a child cry. The flames were spreading, and fast.

_Shit shit shit._ The mantra repeated in his head as he ran back into his living room to try and get to the window. Unfortunately, the flames had spread too fast.

The metal was hot to the touch, nearly burning him as he made a quick attempt to still try and open them. A loud bang and the wail of a police car drew his attention away from the window.

Someone was slamming on his door from the other side. Jack could feel hope rise in him. When the door finally crumbled, he was surprised to see who was standing there.

Instead of a fireman decked out in appropriate gear, Mark stood there, eyes squinting through soot stained glasses. The arms of his shirt were charred and Jack could see he was badly burned. It was most likely due to the door.

“Mark! What are you doing here?” The redhead didn't answer and instead motioned for Jack to come to him. The Irishman quickly did as he was told and jumped over the small pool of flames near his apartment entrance.

Mark took hold of him, dragging him back down the stairs and through the emergency fire exit on the ground floor. Jack was relieved to breath in fresh air after he coughed out the remaining smoke from his lungs.

“M-mark.” He choked out but before he could say anything else, a different pair of hands were grabbing him, pulling an oxygen mask over his face. Mark was pulled from his grip and two seconds later, his vision was black.

* * *

 The lights were too bright. It was the first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes. Bright bright lights. Beeping was the second sound. Jack was no stranger to falling asleep with the lights on and his phone playing music, but the lights were brighter and the beeping sounded nothing like any intro or outro to a song he listened to.

Carefully, he tried to open his eyes. A white ceiling met his gaze and Jack was instantly confused. His ceiling didn't look like that. He tried to move but ended up falling into a brief coughing fit instead. He hadn't noticed until now, but his throat hurt immensely, as though someone had taken a grater to it.

His head hurt as he tried again to sit up, finally taking in his surrounding. Despite his blurry vision, Jack instantly knew he was in a hospital, but the events leading up to now were a bit blurry. It took a while before he remembered everything and when he did, he gasped, hurting his throat even more.

“Mark!” His shout came out more like a strained whisper and he realized that he must have inhaled a lot more smoke than he'd thought. It didn't matter. He had to find Mark to see if he was okay.

Jack could remember seeing the charred remains of his shirt sleeves and the burns along his arms. Pulling himself up carefully but quickly, Jack pulled the IV from his arms and hopped off the bed.

The machine next to him went off and he cursed under his breath. They were going to catch him and put him back to sleep. As if on cue, a nurse with brunette hair and pursed lips stepped into his room, a knowing look in her green eyes.

“Your friend is fine, you can lay back down. I'll let you see him later once the doctor talks with you.” She said, reading his mind almost. Jack narrowed his eyes at her.

“I need to see him now.” He said in his breathy voice. She sighed.

“He's not awake, and you're going to hurt yourself if you try and get past me. You inhaled a lot of smoke and it's made your body very weak and fatigued. I promise, once he's awake and the doctor clears it, you can see him.”

The nurse gave him a look, one saying that she understands how he feels but she'll make sure he doesn't step out of this room until he's ready.

Jack let out a sigh and muttered “fine” under his breath, the word barely audible with his battered throat. The nurse smiled.

“Good, now back to bed. Rest for a little while I go get the doctor.” She said and waited till Jack was back in his bed and had his IV in before turning and leaving the room. Jack breathed deeply, thinking about what had happened.

Mark had saved him. Mark had risked injuring himself to save him. Mark had been coming to his apartment as a surprise, saw that the building was on fire, and _had saved him._

The entire thing spun around in his thoughts making him dizzy before he finally began to drift off. He'd make sure he saw Mark once he woke up again. For now, he was just really tired and glad to be alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Tumblr just in case you have any questions or you wanna talk:
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/theworldinallitshonestterrors


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is genuine and utter trash, but I tried! I promise! I just wasn't sure how to go about doing what I wanted to do so this was the result. I hope you all forgive me and I promise the next chapter will be better

Jack woke up abruptly, his heart beating so fast it felt as though it would fly out of his chest. He'd dreamt of the fire, but instead of Mark being there to save him, a black silhouetted figure had pushed Jack into the growing flames. Sitting up now, Jack felt hot and cold at the same time. He knew it was just a dream, and now, more than ever, he wanted to see Mark. He twisted in his position to hit the call button and rather quickly, a nurse walked through the door. It was the same one as before.

“Are you feeling better?” She asked. Jack gave a small stuttered nod, trying to convince both her and himself that he was fine.

“Y-yeah.” He said. His throat did feel a bit better, enough to speak without it feeling like gravel scraping across the surface. She gave him a look.

“You sound better...but you look like you've seen a ghost.” She commented. Jack shrugged. “Bad dreams, yunno.” He said. The nurse flinched. “Oh my, I'm sorry… I didn't mean–” Jack just smiled and shook his head.

“No, it's okay. I just...really want to see my boyfriend. If there's anyone that needs comfort right now, it's him. After all, he's the one that actually got hurt. I, uh...I saw the burns when he knocked down my door to save me. They didn't look good.” Jack stared down as his hands as he spoke. He felt guilt over the fact that Mark had been hurt in the first place. Who….whoever had caused that fire? He wouldn't forgive them. Jack faintly remembered before passing out hearing one of the firefighters say that the fire was too wild and big to have been accidental. The fire had been caused _on purpose._

That meant that somebody had tried to kill everyone in the building. Somebody had tried to kill _him._ A rush of fear flew down his spine and Jack tried to shake it off. There was no use thinking about it for now. At this moment, all he wanted to do was get his final checkup with the doctor and go see Mark. The nurse understood as Jack told her what he wanted, and it wasn't too long before he was being led to Mark’s room.

* * *

 It was _so_ quiet. Besides the steady beeping of the machine, a noise Jack was beginning to detest, and the staticky flickering of some of the fluorescent lights, there were no other sounds. Jack was use to silence when around Mark, but it was never like this. There was at least the steady inhale and exhale of his breath, but now, it was absent. Jack couldn't resist putting his hand over the redhead’s chest just to make sure the other male was still breathing.

He looked pale, which was an odd sight. Mark always looked like some sort of bronze god to Jack, but now, he was paler. The burns along his arms were tightly wrapped in gauze. During the walk over to the room, Jack had been told by the doctor that the burns were only second degree and that none required skin grafts. The Irishman didn't even know what that was, but whatever it was, it hadn't sounded pleasant.

Jack sat there in silence in a chair next to Mark, simply watching him, hoping he would wake up soon. The doctor had told him that Mark would be okay and that the burns would heal in time, though they wouldn't scar, but there would be discoloration. Jack felt another twinge of guilt. He knew it wasn't his fault, that he hadn't been the one to start that fire, but there was still some part of him that made it feel like he had something to do with it. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. He let out a sigh and rested his hand on the edge of Mark’s bed, inching it closer and closer to the other man’s hand before he finally took hold of it.

“I'm sorry.” Jack whispered lowly. The fingers held between his twitched and Jack sat up in his chair. “Mark? Mark, are you awake?” He leaned in closer to the redhead and watched as deep brown eyes peeked out from inky black lashes.

“Hey.” Jack breathed out. Mark blinked sleepily at him before he grinned, mouthing _hey_ back. As if the nurse had a sixth sense or something, one walked through the doors. It was a different one, an older woman with black hair and stern eyes.

“Out.” Was all she said, pointing to the door she'd just walked in. Jack was about to protest, but the look in her eyes made him fall back and listen to her orders. He gave one last smile to Mark, whispered that he'd see him soon, and left the room.

* * *

 Mark was in the hospital for less than a week before he was finally released. During those few days, Jack had been there anytime he could, though the occasional breaks for sleep, showers, and work. Ken and Mary learned what had happened and had tried to convince Jack that he didn't need to come in, but work took his mind off of what had happened and let him breath clearer for a while.

After that day the nurse had kicked Jack out of Mark’s room, he'd called Thomas and the older Fischbach had been there in less than a half hour, which was pretty impressive, seeing as how the drive was almost a good forty-five minutes. Jack had tried to apologize but Thomas had simply smiled, saying that it was no one’s fault but the guy who'd started the fire in the first place. After all, Jack himself could have been hurt as well.

The Irishman felt a bit better after talking to Thomas and the day Mark was discharged from the hospital, he was there to wheel his out. Mark was vexed at the idea that he couldn't just walk out on his own two legs, mumbling soundlessly under his breath the entire time he was wheeled to the front of the hospital. Jack had initially wanted to be the one to drive Mark home, but Thomas had been there and realized it would be better if he went with his brother.

Jack promised that he would see Mark the next day and they said their goodbyes. Jack had work, once again refusing to take a day off, and Mark promised he would come visit. The redhead had joked that he missed Ken and Mary and that in no way was he going to see his wonderful boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short and slightly lacking chapter. I just wanted to get some stuff down in order to move on to what I have next. My plan originally was to go more in depth about the hospital stuff, but I am not a doctor so I dunno about that stuff. Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. I've been working on other things and I never really had the time nor motivation to continue working on this and I didn't want to give a half-assed chapter so I waited instead. I hope y'all can forgive me and that you enjoy the chapter!

Jack spent the night by Ken and Mary’s. After all, it wasn't like he could return to his half burnt out apartment. The day after the fire, they'd managed to salvage some of his things; a few family photos, some clothes, a couple of his games, etc. It wasn't much. When Jack had looked at the small pile of what was left of his belongings, he’d realized the true extent of what had happened once again. Thomas had originally offered for Jack to stay by them, but he’d declined. Thomas already had the job of taking care of both his son and Mark.

Plus, Jack didn't want to baby his boyfriend, no matter how much he wanted to stay close to his side. So instead, Ken offered the spare bedroom to him and Jack took it. It was weird, sleeping in a place he wasn't familiar with. The bed was different, that weird foam thing that was meant to remember your body shape, while the one he'd had back in his apartment was a classic spring bed. It was bigger too.

The sheets felt nicer. Everything was just…. _too good._ Jack felt like he should be in some sort of agony over the fact that his apartment had nearly burned down entirely to the ground.

People could have _died,_ and he was just here sleeping casually in a friend’s spare bedroom. _Mark_ could have died. Mark, who had come over early to surprise him probably. Mark, who'd gotten burned in order to save Jack. Mark, who had new scars to deal with...scars that Jack felt responsible for.

He couldn't sleep that night. Thoughts kept on racing in his mind about all the other possibilities that could have taken place. It was like all the repressed emotions and thoughts from his time at the hospital were suddenly spilling through and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Jack twisted and turned on that comfortable bed with those comfortable sheets stuck between his legs. The thoughts and turning at some point finally managed to tire him out and Jack fell into a dreamless but fitful sleep.

It was probably one of the worst nights of his life.

* * *

He was confused… Mark had promised that he’d be here before Jack’s shift ended and the redhead was nowhere in sight. When Jack had tried to call, no one picked up. Jack had even tried Thomas’ home phone and there was still nothing. The entire thing was worrying after what had happened within the past few days and Jack could barely concentrate during the rest of his shift. When Cry arrived to take over, Jack had never ran so fast in his life. His apartment wasn’t too far so he ran there first to change out of his work clothes.

Thomas’ house, however, was a bit further. It didn’t matter to Jack. He would have ran the whole way if it didn’t make him look suspicious. The walk there was half panicked, half worried. Jack had always had an overactive imagination and he couldn’t help but wonder if something worse had happened to Mark after he’d gotten home from the hospital. When he saw Thomas’ house, he let out a small breath of relief before jogging the rest of the way over.

When he knocked on the door, it wasn’t Thomas like he’d expected. It wasn’t even Mark. It was Lukas. He had a look of confusion and surprise on his face before he hid it.

“Uhh, hi Jack.” The boy said.

“Hey Lukas. Umm, is your uncle here?” Jack asked, unaware of kid’s strange behavior. Lukas was normally a bit more enthusiastic whenever the two saw each other.

“I…. He said to tell you no if you came by.” Lukas said after a few moments of weird silence. Jack gave him a questioning look.

“W-why would he do that?” He asked, voice trembling slightly. The guilt began to resurface and Jack could only think that Mark no longer wanted to see him again because it was his fault he’d been burned.

“I don’t know. He won’t tell me or daddy. He just locks himself in his room when he doesn’t eat or go to the bathroom.” Lukas confessed. Jack’s concern began to skyrocket. It had only been a day since they’d both left the hospital. What could have gone wrong during that time? When they were leaving, Mark had seemed fine sans his injuries from the fire.

“Do you mind if I try to talk to him still? I know you said he doesn’t want to see me...but I need to know why.” Jack urged. Lukas nodded.

“Please. He doesn’t look okay. Help him?” The last part was a desperate question and Jack smiled.

“I’ll try my best.” Lukas let Jack in and directed him to where Mark’s bedroom was. The redhead had a house of his own, but Thomas always kept a room for him here whenever he needed it. Jack approached Mark’s door slowly before knocking gently on it. He listened as footsteps fell on the ground. When the door opened, Jack watched as Mark’s eyes widened in surprise and then narrow in an emotion he couldn’t place.

“You didn’t answer my calls…” Jack said and Mark looked down like he was ashamed. “Are you okay?” He asked gently. Mark shook his head slowly before motioning for Jack to enter his room. He closed the door behind the Irishman and grabbed his phone while Jack looked around. Mark’s room looked like any room a man his age would have, though there was a desk in the corner that was piled high with both books and video games. Jack heard the _tap tap_ sound of Mark writing something on his phone before it was handed to him.

 _Why are you here?_ Mark asked and Jack was taken aback. “I… You said you’d meet me in the coffee shop and when you didn’t come, I got worried. I called you and you didn’t answer so I rushed over once my shift ended. Mark, is there something wrong? Did I-” Mark’s eyes widened and he shook his hands to stop Jack from going any further. He tried to sign but it hurt a bit too much so he took back his phone and typed as fast as he could.

 _I didn’t think you’d want to see me. I’m hurt. I have more scars now. I can’t speak. How could you still like me with these burns down my arms? I wanted to keep a distance. I didn’t expect you to come here._ He said. Jack’s breath caught as he read the words. Mark thought he didn’t want him anymore?

“No...never. I’d never think that, Mark! It doesn’t matter how many scars you have on your body. It doesn’t matter if you can speak or not. I’ll never leave you! That’s ridiculous.”  Jack put the phone in his hand down and walked over to Mark who’d been trying to sink into himself. Carefully, he managed to arrange the two of them into a hug while avoiding Mark’s arms.

“I love you… I’ve said it in the past and it’s still true. I’ll love you no matter what.” Jack told him softly. He felt Mark shake as a slight wetness ran down his neck. They stayed like that for a few moments, Jack letting Mark cry for a bit. Finally, he maneuvered the two of them onto the bed with Mark’s head on his chest.

The redhead had stopped crying and instead fell asleep, body sprawled across Jack’s. With anyone else, the position would have felt constricting to him, but with Mark, there was nothing better. He dragged his fingers thoughtfully through the other man’s hair and thought about what had just happened.

Never before had he given any thought to the emotions Mark had been feeling. It wasn’t even due to the fire. There was a strong chance that Mark could have been having these thoughts since the moment the two started dating, constantly worrying if Jack would leave him for someone who wasn’t ‘broken’. The idea was like a punch straight to his heart. Jack made a promise to himself before falling asleep that he would try his best to help rid Mark of those thoughts.

He’d never leave, and he’d make sure Mark knew that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is. I think there might be one or two chapters left and then I'LL HAVE FINALLY COMPLETED A FIC FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. Thanks for sticking with me for this long. The journey is close to the end and you've all been awesome


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long. It's been OVER a month and I feel terrible. But hey! It's finally, here, the last chapter. I had originally wanted to do two more but scrapped the idea for this instead. I'm sorry it's a bit short, but I'm satisfied with it. Well, here it is.

It took a week for things to return to normal. Mark was still a bit reluctant to believe what Jack had told him but the Irishman was persistent. They both stayed at Thomas’ house for two more days before Mark decided he'd be okay at home again. His arms had healed to the best of their ability, though still scarred. 

At night, Jack would sit beside him and gently rub them with an ointment the doctor had provided. Mark had tried to stop him the first time but Jack was insistent. After a while, it became routine.

The first night in Mark’s home had been somewhat awkward. The couple acted as though they'd just starting dating with Jack skirting around the house like he wasn't meant to be there. They watched a movie that night, Donnie Darko, a stupid thriller that made no sense at all. Slowly, they worked through the awkwardness and fell asleep tangled on the couch together as the rest of the movies and the credits played.

Life moved on as normal. Jack started looking into finding a new apartment to live in, determined not to freeloader despite the other man’s reassurance that he wasn't. When he finally found one of affordable pricing and had written down the number onto a scrap of paper to call later, Mark had grabbed it and ripped it up, a look of ‘don't fight me on this’ on his face.

Jack moved in officially with Mark two days after that. There were still some of his things in Mary and Ken’s home that he needed to clear out, such as extra clothing and his games. Jack went back to work at the coffeeshop, taking more hours so that he could help start paying with Mark the bills. Cry didn't seem upset by this, finally having enough time off to actually hang out with Ken in the back rather than just work the whole day.

Despite the length of time they'd been together, Jack finally realized what Mark did as a job. He taught online sign language classes and on the days Jack didn't work, he'd hang by the open door and watch with a smile on his face.

Things worked well between the two of them. Signe came to visit again about two months after the accident and was incredibly happy the see that Jack and Mark were finally living together. Of course in her big sister way, she'd been determined to figure out who had been behind the fire.

Two weeks after the incident, it had been ruled an act of arson and not an accident, prompting an investigation to take place. No one ever found out who it was. Strangely enough, after the fire, Jack never saw Felix again. He'd spotted Marzia twice and when he questioned her the first time, she said he simply just disappeared. 

Signe swore up and down that it was him, but there was no evidence and the investigation ended. Mark hadn't seemed too happy about the situation, staying up late a few times only to be lulled into sleep when Jack caught him and soothed his thoughts.

The first time Mark and Jack went out publicly as a couple (other than their first date) had been for Ken and Mary’s wedding. It was a long time coming and Jack was stunned by the fact that it had even taken them this long. Ken and Mary had always acted like they were already married.

An announcement was made during the reception that Mary was pregnant and everyone cheered.

That night as Mark drove them home, Jack couldn't help but wonder about getting married himself. It was legal and all, but he wasn't sure if it was something Mark would want too. When they reached the house and got into bed, Jack had leaned over and asked shyly. 

The reaction he got was better than he expected. Mark was all for it, even mentioning the idea of kid's, though Jack wasn't sure they should go that far just yet. Jack proposed that they get a dog first and then worry about other stuff later.

The next week, Chica came home wagging her tail as she ran up and down through the yard. Mark had picked her out, a rescue, and she was _perfect._

The two fell in love with her as soon as she'd looked at them with her lopsided smile and Mark had turned to Jack was a pleading smile. It didn't take long for Chica to feel like part of the family. She and Lucy got along incredibly well and Lukas would make a habit of calling them by the wrong names.

At some point, Jack finally told the rest of his family about Mark. They hadn't been aware of their relationship back when they were kids, but Jack’s mother had always had assumptions. The only thing she'd been upset about was that he'd never told her earlier. Mark wasn't sure how she'd take his mutism but Mrs McLoughlin was one of the most understanding people ever.

She talked to Mark as if he were her long lost son and it made him incredibly happy to be accepted. Jack had watched the skype interaction was a smile on his face the entire time, happy that things were working out so well.

* * *

Mark was the one to do it. It was completely unplanned and on a whim. He didn't even have a ring yet, but the moment was too perfect to pass up. It was an unconventional proposal: no elaborate dinner or big event. He didn't even get down on one knee.

Instead, the two of them were cuddled on the couch watching a movie.

Carefully, Mark picked up Jack’s hands and spelled out the words he wished so desperately he could say out loud.

_Marry me?_

Jack's face was looking opposite of his so Mark couldn't see his reaction, but he could feel the gentle shaking of his shoulders before the Irishman flipped around from his position and threw his arms around Mark’s neck.

“Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes. A million times yes.” He said. It was as simple as that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it ends. It's been a fun ride and after all my time of writing, this is the first time I've completed something! I'm real proud and I just wanna say thanks a lot for sticking with me. Special thanks to Uma (emeraldcitydowntowngirl) for commenting on every chapter and encouraging me to write when I decided to procrastinate. You're awesome and I hope you enjoyed that small Donnie Darko mention (though I don't think Mark and Jack would actually ever watch that movie. Oh well). Anyway, this is a long note so I'll end it here. 
> 
> Thanks for the kind words and encouragement.


End file.
